My girl
by OnceUponAnatomyMinds
Summary: What if Mark had come to Seattle on a journey to find Addison but bumped into heartbroken Meredith instead? When their relationship blossoms into something more than either of them had ever imagined, will they be able to over come the obstacles blocking their happily ever after or will they both succumb to the demons of dark and twisty? R&R
1. Chapter 1

**I am a bad person- I couldn't help myself! I had to upload this story before it ate me alive!**

 **I have so many plans for it and the more chapters I was planning on writing the more it was wrecking my head so I just had to upload it- so yes, I now have 4 stories on the go... I am a bad person.**

 **Anyway, enough about me now...**

 **Okay so I know this pairing is frowned upon highly but, I can't help but share a love for them.**

 **This is a Mer/Mar fic- I know you are all hardcore Merder fans and so am I, I swear, but this has been bugging me for a while and I couldn't help myself.**

 **This basically takes place after 'Pick me, choose me, love me'- as much as in the beginning it's going to be a little bumpy, Mere and Derek are going to need each other sooner or later and will be very close friends so they are not on a war path with each other for the entire thing.**

 **Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**

"$60 says she leaves with another man" Alex said as he approached everyone, them all still staring at Meredith who was drowning her sorrows in tequila awaiting a man she knew was not coming. It was going into the 3rd hour and he still hadn't showed. They all turned their attention away from her for a while, knowing that it wasn't fair of them to watch her humiliation. Meredith sighed heavily as she looked up at Joe to ask for another drink, tearing her attention away from the bartender when a man next to her cleared his throat.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked, a smile on his face. She shrugged, moving her bag over to the seat on her other side.

"I guess not" He sat down, ordering a scotch, offering to pay for Meredith's next drink. She rested her head back down on the bar, swirling the tequila shot around in it's glass.

"Waiting on a date?" He asked her, leaning on his hand as he looked down at her.

"I am waiting for my ex-boyfriend of 9 months to tell me he left his wife he hid from me" She admitted sadly in a drunken slur, the man sighing as he understood the feeling.

"I am trying to gain the courage to go and tell the woman I love to leave her husband and come back to New York with me. So far I the only details I can get out of her is that she is living in Seattle somewhere so I am searching the city" She looked up at him, raising her eyebrow.

"We are both waiting for someone who we know we aren't going to get" He nodded, taking a sip of his scotch.

"Her husband is- well, was my best friend. I had sex with his wife and then he left her. She went crawling back to him and now I am all alone"

"Well, I am an adulterous whore, even though I never knew. So, I guess we both suck" He laughed, Meredith giggling slightly as well.

"Slutty mistress club" She nodded, sitting up slightly.

"My name is Meredith Grey" She held out her hand, him shaking it with a grin.

"Mark Sloan" They both finished their drinks, Meredith offering to buy him another.

"Only if you get it delivered to my hotel room" He winked, Meredith scoffing.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Maybe I am" She laughed slightly, shaking her head.

"Sorry but, the last relationship I started in this bar and with sex, turned out he was married" She went to stand to leave, Mark stopping her.

"Well, maybe we don't have sex? Maybe you come around to my hotel room and I try and sober you up with some coffee" She raised her eyebrow at him, wondering if he was being serious or not.

"You could be some murderous sociopath for all I know"

"Well if I am, your friend here can be witness that I took you to the Archer Hotel in room 1002 on the 8th floor" She looked to Joe who nodded, urging her to go on. She laughed, nodding her head, following him out.

"You all owe me $60" Alex said, Cristina scoffing.

"We will give you your $60 when we hear from her how good the sex was from McHotty" Izzie agreed, Alex nodding as they shook hands.

* * *

Meredith allowed Mark to put her in his car, them taking the short drive to the Archer hotel 5 minutes away.

"So, why haven't you got the courage to go and admit you undying love for your best friends wife? You seem like a confident man" Meredith said, resting her head on the headrest tiredly.

"Because, I know she doesn't feel the same. And, I don't know if I am ready to chase a woman who doesn't love me back"

"Well- technically you are chasing her considering you don't even know where in Seattle she is" He laughed, Meredith grinning up at him.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you are very loveable" He smiled, looking at her when they stopped at a red light.

"If it makes _you_ feel any better, I think that man is crazy for not coming for you"

"Thank you Mark" She admitted sincerely, Mark nodding.

"How long are you in Seattle for?"

"I booked a week off, but I am my own boss so I could stay for as long as I want" He stated, knowing he was finically able to stay for at least 6 months without needing to go back. He was stable for 6 years if he liked, but he liked topping up his savings every so often.

"What do you do? I wish I was stable to leave here and stay for a while"

"I am a surgeon, plastics. Best in the county. I own a practice in New York and also a small one in LA I visit for 2 months every year but I bounce between gigs around the country, whenever I get a call I go" She knew the name sounded familiar, having heard about him briefly in her last few years at med school.

"You're _the_ Mark Sloan. Woah" She sighed, him laughing slightly.

"What about you, what do you do?"

"I am a surgical intern. Just started actually, almost a year in"

"So you're a baby in the system. Cute" She smacked his arm playfully, laughing slightly.

"My mother was Ellis Grey so, I know a fair share of things that people only learn in residency" His jaw dropped, staring at her as they pulled into the parking lot.

"You're the Ellis Grey's daughter. I am practically in the presence of royalty" She rolled her eyes, him and her climbing out to go inside.

"Yeah well I am not royalty. You can have her as a mother if you like" He scoffed, taking her up in the elevator.

"Come on, I bet she was an amazing mother. Working in Boston, all those award ceremonies"

"I wish" Mark raised his eyebrow, Meredith suddenly feeling embarrassed about how open she was being.

"Why do I feel like I can tell you anything? I haven't even shared details like this to my friends"

"Because, despite what people may say about me, I am sensitive and a good friend" He smiled honestly, opening the hotel door, inviting her inside. He ushered her to sit on the bed, Meredith taking off her jacket and shoes, crossing her legs in front of her, watching him start up the coffee machine.

"So, on the outside you are hard and emotionless, on the inside you are soft and gooey" He laughed, turning to Meredith, taking his own jacket and shoes off.

"You could say that yes" He finished them both a coffee, sitting on the bed with her, crossing his own legs as they continued to drink coffee.

"Okay so, my mother, she wasn't the best growing up. I mean, my father left when I was 5 because she had an affair with a close friend, and then he didn't leave his wife for her so she ran away to Boston. If she wasn't working she was doing something to do with work and I basically never saw her. When I told her I wanted to go to med school she told me I couldn't handle it and would crack under the pressure because I was weak. Now- I just- she doesn't even recognise me"

"I doubt that, I mean, at the end of the day you are her daughter" She laughed slightly, shaking her head.

"She has Alzheimer's. Nobody except me knows because she made me promise to keep it a secret because she didn't want her reputation to be ruined. It's stupid that I have to keep it too myself but, she is so exhausting" Meredith tried to stop the tear as it fell down her cheek but Mark spotted it, wiping it away with his large thumb.

"Hey, it's okay to be tired of it sometimes. I know that is another reason I escaped here. For an escape from life for a while"

"You seem so strong though, clearly you are not dark and twisty as well?"

"I am just as dark and twisty as the next" He smiled, Meredith laughing. Turns out, they had a lot in common and talked until 3am, the two falling asleep at opposite ends of the bed. Meredith awoke at 7am when her phone alarm went off, her waking to a large headache.

"Ouch" She mumbled, Mark rolling over, sitting up to look at her.

"Tequila?" She nodded with a small laugh, Mark grabbing some aspirin from his bathroom, handing them to her with a glass of water.

"I can't believe I am saying this but thank you for last night" Mark said, Meredith putting on her jacket smiling.

"I was about to say the same. I really need it Mark, it means a lot"

"So, how about we go for dinner tonight? I could pick you up?" He offered, Meredith really liking the sound of that.

"That sounds perfect, I will call you later with details" She said, him handing her his business card.

"I look forward to it Meredith. Can I at least drop you off at the hospital"

"Drop me off at the bar so I can get my car, I at least need to get home tonight to get ready" He nodded with a laugh, the two leaving to the car. He parked next to her car in the bar parking lot, Meredith jumping out, looking back at him.

"See you tonight Mark"

"See you tonight Meredith" She shut the door and watched as he drove away, him waving until he was around the corner, the largest grin on his face. Meredith hopped in her car and drove the short 2 minute drive to work, pulling up next to Cristina who was just getting off her bike, Alex running up to them.

"Morning!" She grinned happily, Cristina sighing as she realised she was about to look $30, as was Izzie.

"So, was the sex good?" Meredith laughed at Alex, shaking her head.

"You know what, we sat up until 3am and not once did we even think about sex. We just talked and laughed and, it was great" She admitted, Cristina's jaw dropping.

"You went home with McHotty and never had sex"

"We never went home, we went to his hotel room and no, not even a kiss" Alex groaned, pulling out $30 annoyingly, throwing it at Cristina, Meredith frowning.

"You betted on me having sex?" Alex shrugged, nodding. She just rolled her eyes, heading inside with them.

"And McHotty doesn't fit"

"McSexy?" She shook her head cringing.

"McSteamy"

"Ah, that's it" Cristina agreed, them all going to the locker room to get ready. At the end of her shift, Meredith was too busy on the phone to notice Derek and Addison in the elevator, waiting for her mysterious man to pick up.

 _"Hey! How is my beautiful slutty mistress?"_ She laughed, Derek staring at her in shock, Addison staring at him.

"Not too bad actually, I am on my way home to get ready. Do you want me to meet you at the Archer?"

 _"No no, I have plans for you. Text me your address and I will meet you at home. Await my beep okay?"_

"Okay! Should I be worried- I mean- taking me out on a date is a huge step" She laughed, Derek's jaw dropping.

 _"Just wear something nice, I look forward to seeing you Meredith!"_

"I'll be waiting!" She hung up just as the door stopped on the ground floor, skipping out happily, Derek and Addison following slowly. Izzie and Cristina waved her goodbye, them watching Addison walk away from Derek who was clearly going home.

"Cristina!" He yelled after her, the two women stopping with an annoyed expresison on their faces.

"What?" She replied rudely, knowing that off work, he was the man who broke her best friend.

"Who has Meredith got a date with?"

"Jealous Derek?" Izzie laughed, him frowning at her.

"She has a date with some man named Mark who she went home with yesterday. They spent the entire night not having sex, and she comes back with a date! Who would have thought?" Her and Izzie laughed, Derek watching them leave in shock. Maybe him choosing Addison wasn't the best move he could have made.


	2. Chapter 2

**I know a lot of my readers are hardcore Merder fans, and this is definitely different to what I have done before, but it is not fair of you all to criticise me for spicing up my stories a little.**

 **I understand that not everyone ships Mer/Mark but, truth be told, I know a small proportion of people who do not ship Merder, so I should not be judged for expressing another love I have for 2 characters on the show.**

 **I am rather disappointed by some responses I have had to this story as I thought my readers would be a little more considerate, clearly proving me wrong. It's upset me that so many people would judge me and my writing just on the ship I have chosen, which to me is very insulting and rather low on my readers behalf.**

 **Whether this story gets reviews or not, I will be continuing it because, whether people are a fan or not, I think every story deserves a chance, which clearly not many people are giving me. As I said, I am disappointed and upset.**

 **But saying that, I want to thank those few who have followed and favourited and reviewed this story as it means a lot to me.**

 **For the sake of it all, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please, don't forget to drop me a review.**

Meredith turned around when Izzie finished curling her hair, Cristina cooing in awe.

"You actually look hotter than me for once" She muttered with a smirk, taking a sip of her glass of wine. Meredith looked at herself in the mirror, a small frown on her face. She was wearing a long grey dress with a slit up her right leg, stopping at her mid thigh. Izzie had curled her hair which was down with a small diamond clip in the side. She agreed she looked amazing, but she had never dressed up like this for a date before, and it scared her.

"What's wrong?" Izzie asked, wondering if she didn't like the way she had done her hair.

"I've never been on a date like this before" She said nervously, rubbing her hands together to try and prevent the sweating.

"Mere, it's going to be fine. If he asked you for a date and you never had sex, it's clearly because he likes who you are. That is rare to find. I know you and Derek had something more than just sex, but sex did play a large factor in it. You need some change" Cristina said, Meredith nodding. They heard a beep outside, Izzie running to the window, her jaw dropping.

"Okay you need to go. Go to your McSteamy" She said in awe, not letting her look out the window as Cristina pushed her to the door.

"Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it, now go!" Cristina laughed, shutting the door behind her after she grabbed her clutch bag. Cristina ran to the window, her face mimicking Izzie's as they watched her walk down the porch. Meredith felt her eyes go wide as she spotted Mark standing with the door open to a small limbo, him suiting a nice tuxedo with a long black tie, his face dropping when he saw her.

"What's wrong? Am I over dressed? Am I under dressed?" She panicked suddenly, Mark shaking his head slowly, stepping to help her down the last few steps.

"You look so beautiful" He whispered, Meredith blushing.

"You don't look too bad yourself" He lead her to the door, guiding her inside, waving to the two women in the window who waved back in a daze. He hopped in after her, shutting the door, signalling for the driver to start the engine.

"You don't half know how to woo a woman Mark" She said, looking around the smart limbo in amazement. In a glass holder was 2 glasses of freshly poured champagne, the bottle in the centre, Mark passing her one glass while he took the other.

"Well, if it makes you feel extra amazed, I have never picked up a woman in a limbo before" She raised her eyebrow, shaking her head.

"I doubt that"

"No I am telling the truth. I usually rent a sports car, take them to the restaurant in my hotel and then we finish the night in my room. But, I don't know, something urged me to go all out for you"

"You didn't have to do this Mark, not for me" Meredith wasn't used to being treated like this, it was all new for her.

"But I did. There is something about you, it brings out a gooey, soft side in me more than usual" She smiled at how honest he was being, taking a sip of the champagne in thought.

"What are you thinking?" He wondered, taking her hand in his causing a swarm of butterflies to go crazy in her stomach.

"It's just, last night I wanted to drown my sorrows in alcohol and forget all about him, and then I meet you and, no it doesn't matter" She shook her head, laughing slightly.

"Tell me" He pushed, his face concerned thinking she had made a mistake.

"It's just, I've never been treated like this, I've never felt like this. And, I really like it" She admitted with a sigh, Mark breaking out in a huge grin.

"Would it be cheesy to say that I like the way I feel around you?" She nodded with a laugh, Mark laughing along with her.

"Very cheesy, but, who doesn't love a bit of cheese" She shrugged, Mark grinning.

"Let's make a deal shall we?" He offered, Meredith sitting up curious.

"We don't ask or talk about our ex-other halves"

"I can easily do that!" They shook on it, them talking about their day while waiting for the limbo to stop at their destination.

"I didn't have any surgeries, but I am scrubbing in on one tomorrow morning" She said, Mark nodding along.

"I spent the day planning tonight, well some of it anyway. And also, I called my practice up in New York. I told them that I was going to stay out here for a few months"

"You did what? But, won't they need you?"

"No, and besides. I have a good reason to stay" He grinned, Meredith blushing.

"So, what does that mean? That we are people who date? Are you my boyfriend? What is this?"

"Well, Meredith Grey, would you be my girlfriend?"

"You know what Mark Sloan, I'd love you" She grinned, him squeezing her hand.

"Okay so, we are boyfriend and girlfriend, going on our first date. That's cute, right?" Mark laughed, Meredith raising her eyebrows at him.

"Okay Mark, make it sound like we are 15 year olds kissing on the school yard"

"Well we are surgeons. We spent more than half of our lives in education- we are basically socially challenged teenagers with scalpels" She couldn't help but howl at how accurate that was, Mark smiling at her laugh.

"You have such a cute laugh" She felt her cheeks reddening for the 100th time that night, smiling slightly.

"Thank you" She gushed, Mark smirking, taking a sip of his champagne in content. The limbo come to a stop, Mark climbing out, helping Meredith. She couldn't help but gape in awe at the posh restaurant they had pulled up in front of, Mark took her hand, going up to the main doors where a waiter greeted them.

"Pre booked reservations for Mark Sloan" The waiter checked the list, nodding when he found his name. He grabbed two menu's and ushered them up the stairs, reaching the top floor. It was open but Meredith could see the net that obviously stopped rain when the weather was poor. They were taken to a table on the far side, giving them the best view over Seattle. Mark held the chair out for Meredith, pushing her in when she was seated.

"A waiter will be over within the next ten minutes to take your orders. Enjoy your night" They thanked the waiter, Mark staring at Meredith in awe as she looked out at the view, her eyes wide and full of excitement.

"This is perfect Mark" She muttered in amazement, looking to him, her cheeks lighting up when she found him staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because, despite the table we have, you are a much better view" He admitted openly, Meredith feeling tears well up in her eyes, Mark's face dropping in concern.

"Meredith? What's wrong? Is it something I did? Do you want me to take you home?" She shook her head, laughing slightly, as she patted her face down with a tissue.

"No Mark, this is amazing. I just, I'm not used to this- you talk to me like I am some model who you have dreamed of going on a date with for years when in reality I am some baby intern surgeon who has only ever had 2 real boyfriends in my entire life- one of them turning out to be gay and the other having a wife" She laughed at the stupidness of her emotions but her life was not like this. This was a dream come true, and she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mark saw the inward battle in her eyes, grabbing her hand from across the table to get her to look him in the eye.

"Listen to me- I am not gay, and I am not married. I came to Seattle in hope to win over a woman who clearly does not love me, and instead, I found you. It was like, you turned on a switch for me, like I am seeing the world in a totally different way. I have never felt like this before, and I don't ever want to lose this feeling. This is our second day knowing each other, our first date, but I just have a feeling deep down that we were meant to survive this. It's cheesy and stupid but, if you don't feel that way then we can stop this right now. Do you feel like that Meredith?" She fell into a trance, his voice and his eyes pulling her in. She had never felt like this before, but the feeling was definitely mutual. She was falling, hard and fast, and was not about to back out.

"Make sure you order white wine" She whispered with a smile, Mark grinning as he nodded, the two letting go of each others hand to look at the menu. Meredith ordered a steak with side salad, Mark ordering lobster with fries, the two falling into conversation as they waited for their food.

"So, you know my dark and twisty parent past, what about you?"

"My mother died when I was 15. We weren't close, my dad abused my mom but left when I was 9. Mother went on a downward spiral and drank herself to death. But I was hardly at home anyway, I practically lived with my best friend, it was like that since we were 4. We went to school together, grew up together, then when my mom passed his mother took me in" Meredith cringed, having cried about her childhood when clearly his wasn't the best either

"I am so sorry"

"No it's fine! Really- despite it all, I had a good childhood. It was great!" She smiled, glad that he managed to find good in the hard times.

"Want to play 20 questions?" He asked suddenly, Meredith chocking slightly on her wine.

"Seriously? Back to the 15 year olds on the school yard?" He laughed nodding, wanting to get to know all he could about his beautiful date.

"Okay fine. You go first" She said, crossing her arms on the table.

"Favourite colour?"

"Purple" She admitted happily, Mark rolling his eyes.

"Stereotypical"

"Well what is yours?"

"Blue" He realised he contradicted himself, Meredith laughing at his shamed face.

"Okay, favourite film?"

"Well, I love Forrest Gump. And Armageddon- they are probably my two top ones. How about you?"

"I am a sucker for Top Gun if you want me to be honest" He laughed, Meredith placing her hand on her heart.

"That is adorable. Who doesn't love a bit of Tom Cruise. Cocktail is the winner for me though!" She said, Mark nodding his head.

"Cocktail is a good one"

"Favourite song?" She thought hard and long, her forehead creased in thought.

"I mean- I have a lot. I live and breathe music. Blackbird by the Beatles is probably high on the list! Oh, no! My Girl! Sorry, wins every time"

"Well, I can't judge. 500 miles is a clear one for me" She laughed out loud, covering her hand over her mouth when people started to stare, Mark laughing at her laughing.

"That is not the song I would expect to be in your top 25 played songs" She managed to get out between fits of laughter, Mark rolling his eyes. They carried on their game of 20 questions, finding out so many details about each other. Meredith couldn't help but think about how she didn't know half the stuff they were talking about for Derek, and it just showed what sex can do to a relationship. She thought he was the one, but clearly she had know idea what the meaning of soul mates was. They ate in silence, Mark's attention purely on Meredith. He was in awe of her, not able to take his eyes off her. Once they finished, they decided to drop into a Starbucks drive-thru for a coffee and dessert, then going back to Meredith's for a bit.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pay for any? The price is so high here Mark" Meredith complained as they headed to the spot to pay, Mark rolling his eyes.

"Meredith it's fine. My treat I told you, stop complaining!" She huffed and followed him out, them paying then hoping back in the limbo. They handed the driver their orders for Starbucks, not 10 minutes later him passing through their drinks and a bag. Meredith took her cold chocolate cream from the holder, Mark having gotten a carmel and cinnamon cream for himself. He passed Meredith the chocolate muffin she had ordered out the bag, Meredith taking in the smell with a content sigh.

"Did I mention I am a sucker for chocolate?" She said, taking a bite out of the muffin happily, Mark laughing when she got Chocolate all around her mouth, him not being able to look at her seriously making her frown.

"Why are you laughing at me?" She complained childishly, him passing her a tissue making her cringe.

"Sorry!" She said muffled through the tissue, him shaking his head as he took a bite out of the brownie he got himself.

"It's fine, adorable actually" He cooed making Meredith roll her eyes. They pulled up back outside Meredith's house, putting their half eaten desserts into the bag, Mark carrying the drinks.

"Are you sure I can't talk you into going to the hotel. My friends are going to be in here and they won't be able to keep themselves from you" Meredith said as a final warning, Mark nodding.

"I need to meet them Meredith, might as well be now while the opportunity is here!" She sighed, thanking the driver before guiding him up the steps. Before they got to the door, Izzie threw it open, a large grin on her face.

"Hi! You're both back- come in" Meredith mouthed _subtle_ at her as they walked past, Meredith taking the bag and drinks from Mark to take to the lounge.

"Hi, I'm Izzie Stevens! It is really nice to meet you" She said shaking his hand, Mark smiling happily at her.

"Mark Sloan. It's nice to meet you" She shut the door and guided him into the lounge, Meredith sitting on the couch, Cristina, George and Alex all around the living area.

"Mark, this is George O'Malley, Alex Karev and Cristina Yang" Meredith introduced them all to him, them taking turns to shake hands.

"It's nice to meet you all. Meredith talks very highly of every one of you"

"You guys do a lot of talking don't you" Izzie stated, Meredith putting her head in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

"Izzie!" Mark laughed, sitting next to her, putting his arm around her when she sat back up.

"It's fine, I am trying to prove to Meredith that a relationship can last without sex and the outcome won't be that I am gay or married" She smacked his arm when everyone laughed, a grin on her face.

"That was a secret, thank you!" They all sat up until 1am talking, Cristina and Alex heading home because they had round at 9am.

"Goodnight guys!" Izzie expressed happily as George dragged her upstairs, Mark waving with a laugh, Meredith dragging him into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"I am so sorry for them! They are, erm? Open and excited" She laughed, Mark leaning against the side in content.

"No it's fine! They are all great! Maybe we could all go out for dinner sometime soon. I would like to get to know them all as well" She smiled at how easy he was, knowing it was very hard to find men like that.

"That would be great, thank you Mark"

"So, do you want me to call a cab back to the Archer? I know you have rounds at 9"

"You can stay the night if you want- I have a lot of men's t-shirts you can sleep in. I buy them for bed as they are comfier than PJ's anyway" She said, taking a sip of her water, Mark smiling.

"Yeah that would be great!" They headed upstairs, Meredith grabbing a top for him and herself, handing it to him.

"I am just going to go to the bathroom- make yourself at home" She grinned, going to the bathroom while Mark undressed, keeping on his boxers, putting the top on. It was strange how it fit him almost perfectly, him climbing into bed. Meredith come back in 3 minutes later, throwing her hair in a bun to sleep in. He couldn't help but stare at her, even without makeup she was still beautiful. She had a large top on, it coming just below her waist. He stared at her in awe, unsure at how she could be so beautiful.

"You are so beautiful" He muttered, Meredith climbing in next to him, turning the light off.

"Goodnight Mark" She kissed him lightly on the lips, rolling over and going to sleep. He wrapped his arm around her waist and was soon asleep, Izzie and George standing outside their door in amazement, wanting to see for themselves that they were truly not having sex.

"Did you hear that? Why am I so jealous!" Izzie expressed in a hushed whisper, George laughing, pushing her into her bedroom the entire household asleep in seconds.

 **Cute little date chapter! The cuteness though is about to be destroyed, kind of. I mean, Derek is going to find out sooner or later, and it isn't going to go down well...**

 **Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter is going to kinda flash forward a lot, but there will be occasional flashbacks to what happened in the time period missed out.**

 **Thank you so much for the positive reviews, it means a lot!**

 **On with the show and don't forget to review!**

Mark and Izzie sat outside the bathroom for the 4th time in that hour, them both cringing as Meredith continued to throw up.

"Are you sure she isn't pregnant?" Izzie whispered to Mark, him laughing slightly.

"We haven't done it yet. I would tell you if we had" Izzie sighed, tucking her knee's up under her chin.

"Come on, how have you guys not done it! It's been what? Almost 7 months"

"It'll be 7 months in 3 days" Mark corrected, Izzie gushing making Mark howl.

"The fact you are keeping count is so adorable" She was interrupted when Meredith come out of the bathroom, her hair plastered all over her face with sweat, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"You need to go back to bed" Izzie demanded, Meredith shaking her head defiantly.

"I will be fine, I just need a green tea" She argued, Mark wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Meredith resting her head on his chest with a sigh.

"You're burning up, I think you should just take a day" He stated, her forehead burning through his thin vest.

"I am not taking the day off" She shot back weakly, pushing off him only to wobble slightly, Mark catching her before she fell.

"Bailey is going to take one look at you and send you home" Izzie told her, Meredith rolling her eyes, slowly making her way to get ready. Izzie did the same, Mark sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her walk around the room, taking her sweaty clothes off.

"I was thinking of calling up your chief today, try and get myself working?"

"Really? That would be great!" Meredith exclaimed, though her lack of energy didn't make her sound very enthusiastic.

"Are you sure you would want me working with you? We would have to be so professional in work" He winked, Meredith laughing slightly.

"You have been bouncing backwards and forwards from your practice for 7 months, it's time you settled yourself a job here. Unless, you don't want to stay here for much longer?" She wondered, frowning as she looked at him. He stood, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in close.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. New York is my past, and you, you are my future Meredith" She smiled, allowing him to kiss her nose softly before she finished getting ready.

"Are you sure you don't want to take the day off?" He offered one last time as she, Izzie and George headed to the car.

"I am sure Mark. Keep me in the loop with you and chief okay?" He nodded, kissing her lightly on the lips before watching her leave with George. He grabbed Izzie's wrist slightly, holding her back.

"Keep an eye on here Izz" He said, his voice full of concern making her smile.

"Of course Mark. We will see you tonight" She said, squeezing his hand to show everything would be alright before running after George and Mere, offering to drive.

* * *

They arrived at the hospital, them pulling up next to Cristina who had just pulled up on her motorbike. Meredith stumbled out of the car, Izzie managing to catch her before she went flat on her face.

"Are you drunk?" Cristina joked, but both of her friends expressions made her frown, her hand going straight to Meredith's forehead, a hiss escaping her mouth making Izzie snarl at her.

"You need to go back home" She said, Meredith rolling her eyes.

"I am going to be fine. Just, give me a bit okay?" She said, Meredith going to walk away, stumbling slightly. Cristina passed George her things, wrapping her arm around Meredith's waist, guiding her inside.

"I don't need help" She argued weakly, Cristina scoffing.

"You look like hell, you smell like a herbal shop and you are walking like a lightweight on a bottle of tequila. I am helping you inside. Maybe when Bailey see's you she will send you home"

"If she knows what is good for her she won't send me home" Meredith bit back sharply, George laughing.

"She is going to argue with Bailey and get herself killed" Meredith shot him a glare, them all laughing as they headed to the locker room. They all watched painfully as Meredith tried to get ready, her body failing to do it's task in helping her get ready. After a certain amount of time, she was finally ready, standing up from putting her shoes on, her knee's buckling, Cristina being there to stop her falling.

"Seriously Mere, you need to go home" She said worryingly, showing how serious she was being.

"I'll be fine" She argued back again, not giving in. Cristina helped her out the locker room, them all going up to Bailey who turned around, eyeing Meredith straight away.

"There is no chance I am letting you go near patients looking like that!" She shot, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I am fine"

"No she isn't. She has been throwing up continuously for the past 2 days and, me and Mark tried to get her to stay at home but she wouldn't. Please send her home" Izzie told her, Meredith staring at the blonde in annoyance.

"Bailey please, I am fine" Bailey sighed, nodding her head.

"Cristina, you are with Burke. Karev, Shepherd, Izzie, Montgomery-Shepherd. Meredith, I am charting all morning so you can sit with me and do that. If I see anything out of the ordinary I am making you go home. Do you understand?"

"Thank you Dr Bailey" Everyone dispersed, Meredith following Bailey to the ER where they sat behind the desk charting. A few hours had passed, Meredith feeling bile rising up her throat, cringing slightly as she tried to hold it back. She slowly pushed her chair backwards, standing catching Bailey's attention.

"Where do you think you are going?" All Meredith had to do was look at her and she knew, sighing heavily.

"Go, but if you are gone longer than 10 minutes you are going home" Meredith all but nodded before rushing off to the closest toilet, just managing to hold it back as she lifted the seat up before emptying the already bare contents of her stomach. She gagged endlessly for a good 5 minutes, standing slowly and shakily before flushing the toilet, wiping her mouth dry with a tissue before opening the door. She jumped when she spotted Addison standing by the sink looking at her with concern, Meredith avoiding her eyes as she leaned up against the sink, trying to steady her breathing.

"I wondered why I never got the intern I requested today" She said, Meredith looking up at her slightly.

"I'm sorry, Bailey wouldn't let me near any patients"

"She is right, you should really be at home resting" Meredith shook her head, closing her eyes to try and control the bile rising up again.

"I'll be fine. I just, need a green tea is all" She said with a pained smile, slowly leaving the toilet, heading back to Bailey who was standing waiting for her.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"I'm fine" She said impatiently, Bailey nodding, passing a chart to her, Meredith requesting to stand for a while. She had her back to the patients as she charted, another hour passing before she felt a cup be placed beside her, turning around to see who the culprit was. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she saw Mark, standing over her with his winner smile, though his eyes showed deep concern.

"I thought you could use a green tea" He said, Meredith taking it gratefully.

"You read my mind!" Bailey cleared her throat slightly, Meredith blushing as she turned to her resident who was no standing with her arms resting on the side, looking at Mark with a raised eyebrow. Meredith didn't get a word in edge before Mark held out his hand to her, smiling widely.

"I am Mark, Meredith's boyfriend. You must be Dr Bailey, I have heard great things" Bailey looked to Meredith in shock, the woman sipping at her tea slowly, avoiding her eyes.

"It's a pleasure" Bailey said, them separating hands as Mark looked back at Meredith.

"I thought you were going to call the chief about a job" She said, looking up at him.

"I did, he asked me to come in for a meeting but I wanted to tell you first before I met with him" Her eyes lit up, a smile spreading across her face.

"That's great!" She expressed, kissing his lips slightly, him nodding his head. Meredith placed her tea down, turning to Bailey to ask her if she could escort him to the chief's office when a series of events took place all at once, shocking her. As she turned around a gush of wind swept past her face as she saw out of the corner of her eye a fist connect with Mark's face, sending him backwards onto the floor. The culprit of the fist being Derek, who was shaking his hand in agony.

"Derek! What the hell?" Meredith shouted, her and Bailey helping Mark stand back up, Addison standing in the background in shock.

"That's Mark" Derek replied, Meredith's eyes widening as she looked to Mark, his hand resting on his cheek which had split slightly.

"Wait? Derek was your best friend? You slept with Addison?" She asked, her face paling just slightly more than it was before, Mark feeling his eyes go wide.

"Derek is your ex?" She nodded with a loud gulp, her world crumbling around her.

"This is your Mark?" Derek asked angrily, Meredith nodding again, no words being able to leave her mouth. All she could think about was that nothing could get worse, this was it. This was the other shoe dropping. But no, another shoe was yet to they all fell into silence, the ER doors burst open, Meredith's eyes widening as she saw the woman in the gurney, fighting against her restraints, her hair wild. Bailey ran to her side, Cristina and Burke who had been on the trauma entrence greeting her.

"Patients name Cristina" Bailey shouted, Cristina freezing in her tracks, looking up at Meredith in the group, her eyes flashing back down to the chart. Bailey stopped the gurney, turning to Cristina.

"Patients name!" Cristina gulped loudly, everyone turning in shock as the words left her mouth.

"Ellis Grey"

 **Bit of a change on events but, I hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay this chapter is really short but kinda a filler chapter really. Just wanted to get it uploaded while I plan later chapters.**

 **Don't forget to review and if there are any scenes you wanna see, tell me!**

Meredith stood hiding behind the lockers in the locker room, on the other side Bailey keeping the large group from bombarding her. Mark and Cristina where at the front, Derek and Addison not far behind. Having heard the unravelling events, Izzie, George and Alex had come to the rescue, though Bailey wouldn't allow anyone past.

"What do you want me to do Meredith?" Bailey asked her quietly, Meredith standing with her hands on her knees, her body shaking.

"I want Izzie and Cristina to take me home" She managed to croak out, Bailey ushering the two behind her, staying in her fixated position. Cristina guided her to the floor, Izzie frowning when she took Mere's hand.

"Mere your pulse is really low- should her pulse be that low?" Cristina felt her pulse, shaking her head.

"She hasn't ate properly in 3 days" Mark blurted out, concern for his girlfriend growing.

"I want Mark" Meredith mumbled, Derek jumping up when Mark went to pass Bailey.

"I don't want you anywhere near her" He spat, Addison holding him back.

"She is my girlfriend Derek" Mark shouted at him, standing his ground.

"Oh yeah? Her and how many other woman?" Meredith pushed away Cristina and Izzie as she tried to stand, coming up behind Bailey who stopped her going any further.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Meredith asked angrily, Izzie keeping her swaying to a minimum.

"This man is a whore Meredith, he always has been and always will be"

"He doesn't have time to be a whore, he is with Meredith or at the house 24/7" Izzie replied in defence, hating to see Mark so targeted.

"The last time he never whored when with someone was when he was with me" Addison replied shortly, Derek having known that she and Mark had a short term relationship before she came to seattle.

"Because he loved you, that is why" George butted in, Bailey raising her eyebrows at him.

"I love Meredith! I freaking love Meredith!" Mark exclaimed loudly, Meredith feeling her heart flutter.

"You can't love her" Derek whispered harshly, Bailey pushing him back when he stood froward towards Mark.

"Why can't he? What is so wrong about him loving me?" Meredith asked slowly, Derek looking at her with sad eyes.

"He will ruin you Meredith"

"No Derek, you ruined me. You ruined me and he picked up the pieces. I am happy for you and Addison, so why can't you be happy for me?"

"You're my friend and I won't let him break you"

"What? Like you broke her" Cristina snapped, Alex stepping forward.

"Like or not, he is good to her. You need to see that now or leave" He said, not hesitating to stand up for his friend. He liked Mark, and he was not about to see him get beaten down by Derek.

"You've changed" Addison said, looking between Mark and Meredith.

"I love her" He whispered once more, Meredith smiling. They all fell silent, Meredith's smile faltering slightly as she stumbled onto Izzie.

"I think I'm going to-" Before she could finish her sentence, she fell limply into Cristina's arms, her and Izzie lowering her down in panic. Bailey pushed everyone back as she got down on her knee's feeling her pulse which was still very low.

"George, go and get me a gurney. Alex, page chief" The two men ran off, Addison and Derek standing back, Derek dragging Mark back with him.

"Let them work" He whispered, Mark running his hand through his hair.

"She is allergic to penicillin, and her blood is AB. The last thing she had to eat was a piece of french toast last night but she threw it up, and she has only drank green tea these past 4 days. I am her medical contact along side Cristina and Izzie" Mark rambled on to Bailey who was lifting Meredith onto a gurney with Izzie and Cristina's help. Derek was taken back slightly but how concerned he was and the information he knew, Addison looking at him in surprise. Just then Richard ran into the room, his eyes wide.

"What the hell happened?" He looked around the room, Derek and Addison hand in hand, Derek's other hand swollen, which matched Mark's face which was split open slightly covered in dry blood. Bailey wheeled the gurney out, Cristina holding Meredith's limp hand.

"Meredith collapsed, I need you to make sure nobody follows me, Yang and Stevens while we examine her" Bailey said as she walked past him, Richard standing in the door way when George, Alex, Addison and Derek went to follow. Mark was standing with his back against the wall staring at the spot on the floor where she had collapsed.

"I told her to stay at home in bed, I told her to and she never listened" Mark mumbled to himself, George and Alex going to his side. Over the 7 months he and Meredith had been dating they had all become very close friends, Derek feeling slightly guilty for how he had reacted.

"I was supposed to have a meeting with you this afternoon" Richard said, Mark nodding, holding out his hand for the man to shake.

"You are working here now?" Derek asked suddenly, Mark cringing.

"If I had known this was your hospital I would have looked at Mercy West or Seattle pres. I wouldn't have come" He said honestly, knowing Derek and Addison wanted nothing to do with him.

"No it's- it's fine. You should work here, right Derek?" Addison said, Derek still staring at Mark.

"Right" He muttered looking away slightly.

"What should we do about Ellis?" George asked, Richard perking up.

"Ellis Grey? Meredith's mother?"

"She got admitted this morning. I think it pushed Meredith over the edge" Addison admitted, knowing it was a lot for a girl to digest all in one.

"Admitted? Why? What happened?"

"She has Alzheimer's sir. She made Meredith promise not the share the details unless necessary- she had sighed a lot of confidentiality papers before Ellis' condition worsened. Most days she doesn't even know who Meredith is"

"You knew? Did she tell you?" George asked, Mark nodding.

"She erm- she was drunk. Well, she was kind of drunk. It was our first date. I never brought it up until she invited me to meet her one day, when she was having a good day. It was the only day I have seen her where she knows who Mere is" Mark stated, Richard running his hand over his face. Just then Cristina came running in the room, slightly out of breath.

"Thank God" She whispered, Alex frowning.

"Bailey told me that if I came back in here and these two had hit each other more she was going to personally kill me, but you are both okay? Right? Please tell me you didn't hit him again" Cristina begged looking between Mark and Derek, Derek laughing slightly, closing and opening his hand again.

"No, I never hit him again. Is she okay?" He asked, Cristina shaking her head slightly.

"We sent her labs off but they haven't come back yet, and she is still out. Her pulse is really low still and her pressure is through the roof. Bailey wants you Mark, she wants you to be there in case she wakes up and thinks Derek has killed you" Mark nodded, standing from his position against the wall.

"We will all wait in the waiting area until she is awake" Richard said, ushering everyone out, Mark and Cristina going down the hall while they all went left to the waiting area.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is just a cute little chapter, I have more in store so don't worry this is not the end! If anyone has any scenes they want to see coming up, please let me know!**

 **Also, I am going to do the drowning plot thing but Mer/Mark style so it is going to be a lot different so what it is in the show, I just wanted to let people know!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

Mark stood at the back of the trauma room as Bailey and Izzie worked on her, Cristina nudging his arm.

"You should let me stitch that up for you" She had a small smirk on her face teasing him, but he could see the concern for her best friend in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, I will get it checked for fractures and all later" She nodded her head, knowing her was a plastic surgeon and knew what was best for his face.

"I keep forgetting that you are the big fancy plastic surgeon and know your stuff more than we do" She laughed, him smiling.

"Yeah but I am just plastics, you're going to be the next cardio God"

"Well I don't know about that but, I am pretty good" He laughed, Bailey surprised at how much they all got along.

"You're alive" Mark snapped his head around to look at Meredith who was opening her eyes, a small smile on her face. He slowly approached her, taking her small hand in his.

"You know I'd kick Derek's ass if he went at me" He winked, Meredith scoffing.

"That cut on your face speaks against you" He rolled his eyes, Meredith gulping loudly.

"I have a headache" She mumbled, Bailey coming around to her side, Meredith looking up at her.

"Did I collapse?"

"Yes you did. You, miss Meredith Grey, are very run down. Most people who had a stomach bug like you will sit in bed with bottles of water and rounds of chicken soup, where as you work 15 hour shifts on the run for 4 days and where your poor body down. You are dehydrated, malnourished, worn down and weak. I am going to move you to a patient room upstairs and keep you in over night on fluids" Bailey explained, them all waiting for Mere to argue back, shocked when she nodded slowly.

"Okay" She muttered, closing her eyes over slightly.

"Okay now I am really worried" Mark stated, Meredith laughing at him.

"I'm too tired to argue"

"When has that ever stopped you?" Izzie commented, Meredith shrugging slightly.

"I have a headache" She repeated, Cristina raising her eyebrows.

"Did she bump her head on the way down?"

"I don't think so. Mere where does it hurt?" Meredith just shrugged again, her eyes still closed.

"Should we page Derek?" Mark asked, knowing she could be suffering something neurological and they were completely oblivious to it. Bailey nodded, paging him while Meredith opened her eyes to look at him, a small frown on her face.

"You haven't cheated one, right?" She wondered, Mark sighing heavily, picking up her hand with his, kissing it.

"I promise I have not cheated on you, I have made many mistakes in my time, but you are not one of them" She smiled at him, nodding her head.

"I trust you" She closed her eyes, allowing him to stroke her hair. Mark jumped when Derek come into the room, Meredith not budging but she was aware of his presence.

"You paged me. Is everything okay?"

"She is awake, but, she is complain of having a headache and we just wanted to check everything before moving her" He nodded, going to her bedside, pulling out his torch.

"Meredith, can you open your eyes for me?" She rolled her head in his direction, slowly peeling her eyes open.

"Check" She mumbled, him smiling at her. He shinned the torch in her left eye, Meredith feeling a sharp pain cross her forehead.

"Ouch" She slammed her eyes shut, Derek frowning slightly.

"She didn't bump her head when she collapsed did she?" He wondered, Cristina and Izzie sharing a look.

"She fell onto so we don't think so, but it all happened to quickly she could have" Izzie said, Derek nodding.

"I want to take her for a head CT. Can you page me her room and I will take her straight to it when she is done" Bailey nodded, Mark looking at Derek.

"Can I come or, is it a staff only area?" Derek couldn't lie so he nodded, knowing it was ill-advised for family members to be in the CT room but he would let it off this once.

"Mark?" Meredith opened her eyes slightly, Derek crouching down to look at her properly.

"He is right here Mere, don't worry" She smiled at him, Mark taking her hand, Mere closing her eyes as they wheeled her out. Once they got to CV, Derek lifted her onto the bed, him and Mark going into the room. Derek could see out of the corner of his eye Mark's leg twitching anxiously, sighing.

"She is fine, it is probably a side effect of her being so run down"

"I know I just, I have been trying to get her to take it easy and she never listens and now she is here and I feel like I could have done more to stop her"

"You're here, that is enough" He smiled slightly, Mark nodding his head, stopping as he went to say something more.

"I'm sorry for punching you" Derek said shortly, noticing how Mark wanted to speak up but never did.

"I'm sorry for being here. Once Meredith is released you won't have to see me again" Derek looked to him in shock, him not noticing as he stared at the CT screen.

"You really have changed" Mark looked his way, frowning slightly.

"You and Addison have mentioned, I don't understand?"

"You would never have taken my feelings into consideration before, or gotten this attached to a girl and you are close with her friends as well, which is, different. It's a good change" He admitted sheepishly, Mark smiling slightly.

"You make me sound like I was a terrible best friend"

"You slept with my wife" They both looked at each other, laughing suddenly.

"So, I guess if I start working here we are going to have to act professionally" He said, Derek sighing.

"I am friends with your girlfriend, we are going to have to be civil" Suddenly, Mark held his hand out, Derek staring at it.

"We can't have the fresh start I want, because I slept with your wife and I am now dating your ex-girlfriend, but, I hope we can get along enough for everyone's sake" Derek looking into the CT room at meredith who was lying on the table, sighing heavily.

"To a fresh start" They shook hands, smiling slightly.

 _"Thank God for that"_ They heard Meredith mutter through the mic, Mark frowning.

"You heard that?"

 _"You guys left the microphone on"_ She replied, Derek laughing, watching as her scans come up.

"I told you, her CT is clear. I will monitor her for the next 24 hours while she is in, but as I said, it's probably just a side effect.

 _"Can I get out now. This machine is really cramped"_

"Coming Meredith" Derek called, Mark sighing heavily, finding comfort in staring at her blank scans. He was snapped out of his haze when Derek come back into the room, ushering him out. They headed to the room Bailey had paged them to, Meredith getting hooked up to the machines while Derek told Bailey about the scans.

"Meredith, I am pumping you full of fluids and also a toxin that should flush the bug out of you. It is going to make you a little drowsy but you are in for the next 24 hours or so on Shepherds orders so this will give you some time to rest" Bailey explained, Meredith nodding as Cristina inserted her IV.

"Can I get back to work tomorrow?" She asked, Izzie laughing as she put in her other IV on her other arm.

"I am going to tell Chief to give you 3 days off. So no, you will not. I will be back in an hour" She said sternly, Meredith sighing heavily, leaning back into the pillow.

"I am going to tell the others how you are" Derek said, Meredith nodding.

"Thank you Derek" He knew she wasn't just talking about the scan, him nodding to both her and Mark as he left.

"So, no more war path?" Izzie wondered, Mark shaking his head.

"No more war path" Cristina groaned, Meredith looking up at her.

"I had $65 on Mark beating the crap out of Derek"

"Thank you?" Mark frowned, laughing along with Meredith.

"We have rounds, we will be back" Izzie said once Meredith was set up, her waving them off, looking at Mark who was sitting next to her, playing with her fingers.

"I love you too" She whispered, Mark looking up at her.

"What?"

"You told everyone that you loved me, and, I love you too" He grinned, leaning up to kiss her lips lightly.

"You know, you are going to be stuck with me for 3 days at home"

"I will find ways to entertain you" He winked, Meredith letting out a small laugh, closing her eyes over as she rested her head to the side.

"I bet you will" He put his head down on her thigh, her hand going to his hair, stroking it slowly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so this a different take of the drowning episode. It's going to be a little more weird but, I don't know, I am going with the flow right now.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

Derek looked around the tragic site trying to find the one intern who was lost. George was back at the hospital looking for a lost boy, Addison had Alex who brought in a Jan Doe and Izzie has just left with her guy who was trapped under a car, but there was no sign of Meredith. He had seen her earlier with a little girl but now, it was like she was gone. He looked for the little girl first, knowing she had such an unforgettable face. She was about 5 years old, her hair a bright, glowing blonde, her eyes shimmering blue like the water. He found a paramedic who was free, wondering if he had seen either of the two.

"Excuse me, I am looking for a young girl, bright blonde hair, blue eyes, looks around 5 or 6 years old" The paramedic frowned, shaking his head slowly.

"A young blonde girl was pulled out the water and taken away in a body bag before" Derek shook his head, knowing this girl was most certainly alive.

"Thank you" He walked away, running his hand down his face agonisingly. He promised Bailey he would watch out for her interns and here he was, losing one, and that one being Meredith out of them all. The two's friendship had blossomed every since he found out about her and Mark. They were on good terms also, but he was glad he had Meredith as his best friend. Suddenly, he spotted the little girl who was waving him over in a panic, Derek agonisingly trying to make his way across the chaos to reach her.

"Hey, hi sweetie! I have been looking for you everywhere! Is the woman still with you? Meredith? Is she still looking out for you?" She shook her head slowly, grabbing his hand. He almost winced at how cold her fingers were on his, but ignored it as she dragged him away to the side. There was a bag abandoned on the floor, a pool of blood not far from it. The girl stopped suddenly, Derek crouching down to her eye level, though when he made eye contact her eyes looked right through him.

"Try and use your words for me, what happened?"

"Her foot was stuck. Her foot was stuck and she tried to swim but it never worked" She whispered, looking out into the water, Derek's eyes following in horror as he looked down over the bank, gulping when he saw a blue hand floating aimlessly slightly under the waters surface.

* * *

Meredith stood and admired her work on fixing the mans leg, looking at the little girl who had been helping as best she could. Her eyes were distant as she looked out into the water, Meredith grabbing her hand to get her attention.

"Are you okay sweetie?"

"Something bad is going to happen" She whispered slowly, Meredith no quite catching what she had said.

"I can't hear you, say it again?" She crouched down, the girl looking her dead in the eye, Meredith not being able to help the shiver that ran down her spine.

"Something really bad is going to happen" She said again, Meredith frowning.

"Everything is going to be okay, nothing else is going to happen to you" She shook her head, becoming slightly distressed. She she let go of Meredith's hand, the man besides them started to shake violently, shouting out random things, Meredith leaving the girls side to calm him. She placed her jacket over his body to keep him warm, though he continued to lash out at her. It all happened in slow motion, Meredith feeling her balance go as the man knocked her backwards, her body flying off the edge of the bank into the cold water, her body thrusting underneath the weak waves due to the force of her fall. She pushed herself up, feeling something tug her back down again. She ducked under and cringed when she realised her foot was caught on something. trying her best to get her head above the water she shouted aimlessly above her, thrashing around recklessly.

"My foot is stuck! Go and get help quick! Help" Everything seemed to speed up as she struggled more and more to keep her head above the water, the water consuming her. She suddenly went still, the coldness shocking her body, her eyes closing over as everything was plunged into darkness.

* * *

Derek felt his lungs burst open as he jumped out of the water, Meredith limp in his arms as he slowly carried her up the steps to the bank top. Her skin was a deathly blue, her hands swinging motionlessly at her sides.

"Follow me" He panted to the little girl, making sure she was by his side as he rushed Meredith to the nearest ambulance.

"Get me to Seattle Grace as quick as you can!" He shouted at the driver, making sure the girl was in before shutting the doors and working on Meredith. The girl watched in horror as he started hitting at her chest, whispering between each breath he took for her.

"Something bad is going to happen" She said to him, Derek looking at her as he continued compressions.

"Everything is okay now, you saved her. You saved her and it's all going to be fine" She kept shaking her had as Derek kneeled over Meredith to do CPR better, the man calling that they were 3 minutes out.

"Drive faster damnit!" He shouted, the girl jumping.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's okay" He apologised to her, the 3 minutes going at a snail's pace until eventually they came to a stop, Derek grabbing the manual pump to breathe for Meredith as the doors swung open.

"Jane Doe-" Derek interrupted him, pushing him out the way when he spotted Burke and Bailey.

"It's not a Jane Doe, it's Meredith, It's Meredith!" Bailey's face dropped as she helped him get the gurney out, him grabbing the girls hand, them rushing into the ER. As they pushed her into a trauma room Derek sat the girl in a corner on a chair, looking her dead in the eye.

"Wait here for me okay? I am going to make sure she is okay. If anyone tried to move you tell them Derek told me to stay here, okay?"

"Okay, will you come back for me?" She whispered, Derek kissing her head with a smile.

"I will be right now. Wait for me" He gave her hand one last squeeze before running in after Burke.

"What happened?" Bailey asked him, Derek going straight to carry on compressions.

"Her foot was caught on something in the water, I don't know how long she was in there before I found her"

"Her temperature is 88" Burke called out, the room becoming suddenly packed with loads of people.

"Everyone calm down, we need to take this step at a time. Burke, page chief, Derek, you can't be in here" Derek scoffed, not stopping with his compressions.

"Nobody should be in here, we are all her family. I am not leaving her" He said sternly, Bailey knowing he was right. They were all too close for this.

"Mark, Cristina, Izzie, George and Alex go nowhere near that door" She said to nobody in particular, everyone nodding knowing that as much as it is going to pain them, they need to let them do their jobs.

"We need to get her temperature back up" Burke stated, knowing there was no chance her heart was going to beat on its own with her temperature so low.

 _In the corner of the room, Meredith stood over them watching in horror as they worked to bring her back to life. She couldn't help but jump when Denny appeared at her side, Meredith looking him up and down._

 _"Well, this can't be good" She muttered, him shaking his head slowly._

 _"You were under the water for 17 minutes Meredith" She cringed, knowing that it wasn't good at all._

 _"He noticed I was missed, he noticed and he found me" She said, them looking at Derek who was still doing compressions, his face dripping with either water or sweat, they couldn't tell._

 _"You didn't fight hard enough" Denny whispered, Meredith shaking her head._

 _"The water was really cold"_

 _"No Meredith, you didn't fight hard enough. You fought, but not hard enough" She looked away from Derek and out the window, spotting a group forming outside the door to the trauma bay._

 _"I can't leave them can I?"_

 _"No, you can't" She felt Denny push her through the wall, them appearing besides the group that had formed. George and Izzie were holding Cristina back who was fighting against them, her eyes watery._

"It's not her! I won't believe that it's her"

 _"They won't let them in" Meredith told Denny as she tried to reach out to them. Her hand brushed past Cristina's arm, her fighting stopping suddenly. It was like she could feel her, the feeling in her gut grew stronger, Meredith could see it in her eyes._

"I was looking for her everywhere. I was looking for her because, I spent the entire day looking for her" _Meredith tried to blink away the tears as Cristina shook her head and ran down the corridor away from them all, her eyes landing on George and Izzie who were trying to comfort each other silently. Even Alex was distraught, standing back in silence, the situation dawning on them._

 _"Where is Mark?" Meredith asked, Denny guiding her away to find him. They travelled up to the OR floor, Meredith spotting him walking out of surgery, a frown on his face as he pushed his phone back into his pocket. They noticed Richard walk up to him, his face grim._

"Chief! Do you know how long the other interns are going to be at the site? I can't get hold of Meredith- Me and Cristina have been looking for her everywhere"

"Mark- Meredith came back a few minutes ago" _Meredith couldn't help but feel her stomach drop as his face lit up, pulling his scrub cap off happily._

"Great! Is she going into surgery? I could go and help?"

"No Mark, Meredith- she came back a few minutes ago as a patient" _His face fell, his head shaking from side to side slowly._

"What do you mean? She was at the site? What happened?" _Richard ushered him slowly down the stairs, Meredith and Denny following them slowly._

 _"You know, I bought him that scrub cap. He always told me how much he loved the colour of the sky at night, so I got him one that matched the colour of the sky perfectly. He hasn't taken it off since" Denny smiled, nodding his head slowly._

 _"True love. How long has it been?"_

 _"It'll be a year and 4 months on Tuesday" Meredith smiled, knowing they had overcome a lot in the time they had been dating but were still going strong._

 _"So, if you love him so much, why didn't you fight?"_

 _"I did, I just, didn't fight hard enough" She mumbled, though Denny just sighed, knowing they weren't getting very far with their conversation._

 _"Why Meredith?" Denny pushed, but she wasn't listening, she just watched in agony as Mark collapsed at the window, his heart stopping as he watched Derek continue to perform CPR on Meredith, Richard leaving him outside as he went in to work on Meredith._

 _"Look at him Meredith, you can't leave him"_

"Meredith, please don't leave me"


	7. Chapter 7

**So your famous author here is an idiot! I thought I had published this chapter before I went to my festival but it turns out it was half completed on my document with the other half typed up on my online word account… Dumb, I know!**

 **Anyway, I apologise greatly for the long wait, clearly I thought it hadn't been that long but I was totally wrong so I am terribly sorry!**

 **After this chapter I am going to kinda skip the recovery a little, but only because I am not a recovery person and it's hard to write, but more drama is coming up so don't get bored with these few filler chapters.**

 **On with the show and don't forget to review!**

"It's been over 45 minutes and she still isn't up to the right temperature" Bailey complained, Derek trying to control himself as he continued her compressions.

 _"Denny let me go back! Someone can still have a beating heart at this temperature" Meredith complained to Denny, looking between everyone in the room helplessly._

 _"I can't do that Meredith until you tell me why you didn't fight" He argued back, Meredith turning to him in a fury._

 _"I didn't fight because of my mother okay! I thought that for 2 seconds I could just, stop fighting, because every day I fight for her approval, I fight to make her proud because for once I don't want to be referred to as Ellis Grey's daughter, I want to be Meredith freaking Grey! I stopped fighting because she was lucid and she told me I was a disappointment- but why should I care what she thinks? I currently do not care about what she thinks, lucid or not!" She shouted, Denny grinning widely._

 _"Well finally!" He expressed, Meredith frowning._

 _"Can I go back now? I need to tell them I am sorry Denny- let me have a second chance"_

 _"If you go back you are going to be in a lot of pain Meredith, are you sure?"_

 _"Denny listen to me, I know you never got your happily ever after with Izzie, and that really sucked. She was heartbroken, we all were, because you deserved so much better than what you got- but this is my chance to get back to the ones I love, and I don't want to waste another minute watching them think I am going to die when I am right here" Meredith felt her hair go damp suddenly, frowning when she fell cold._

 _"Keep going Meredith, you're doing great" She was shivering now, but it didn't stop her._

 _"I need to tell Mark that I love him, and erm? Cristina, god she deserves better than are last conversation being an argument. Derek is my best friend, he- I need to tell him thank you" She was on the floor now, her body dripping with water, like she was back in the water again._

 _"Keep going Meredith" Denny egged on, Meredith trying to rub her hands together but she couldn't move._

 _"It's so cold Denny" She whispered, her eyes closing over._

 _"Fight it Meredith, you need to fight it- tell me about Izzie and George and Alex" Meredith smiled to herself, nodding her head slowly._

 _"George, he knows how to make me laugh. I mean, he is just so stupid and perfect and Izzie. Man can that woman bake! But she makes the best red velvet cupcakes that make your mouth water, and she is such a good friend. She listens and she is great to talk to at 3 in the morning when I can't sleep. Alex can be an ass, I know you never liked Alex which was something I always enjoyed seeing on your face when I was on your service. You would get so angry is was amazing, but when you get to know him he is awesome" Meredith watched Denny as he started fading, but it wasn't him who was fading, it was her._

 _"Denny whats happening?"_

 _"Tell Izzie I love her okay?" And with the blink of the eye, Meredith was gone. Denny grinned happily when Meredith's heart monitor started beeping again, shocking all the doctors in the room._

"We got a heartbeat?" Bailey asked suddenly, Burke rushing to her side, nodding his head.

"We got a heartbeat!" Meredith started coughing violently making Derek jump back. Her eyes started fluttering open slightly, Richard laughing in disbelief.

"Meredith? Meredith can you hear me?" She nodded slowly, her eyes stinging.

"It's really cold in here" She whispered, her voice shaking. Derek grinned happily, kissing her forehead.

You're alive" He expressed happily, Meredith sighing at his warm touch.

"You're really warm" She told him quietly, Bailey pushing her fluids to try and warm her up.

"Meredith your temperature is still really low, we are going to pump you with fluids to try and warm you up but I need you to try and stay awake for me" Meredith nodded slowly, Bailey and Richard working around her while Derek stayed at her head, smiling down at her.

"Where is Mark?" She asked, gulping loudly.

"He is outside Mere"

"I need to see Mark" Derek looked up at Richard who nodded slowly, Derek going outside to find Mark sitting on the floor, his head buried into his knees.

"Mark?" He jumped, looking up at Derek, his face red and blotchy.

"Derek please don't say it" Derek took a deep breath in before looking back down at Mark.

"She is asking for you" Mark felt his heart leap in his chest as he scrambled up off the floor, Derek guiding him into the room. His palms began to sweat violently as he approached Meredith's bedside, standing so she could see him.

"You're awake?" He laughed slightly, rubbing his hand over her hair, not caring that it was still soaking wet.

"And not dying" She added quietly, Mark shaking his head.

"Thank you for not dying" He whispered, crouching down so he could lean his head against her's, Meredith sighing deeply at the compassionate touch.

"I love you Mark, I need you to know that" Mark nodded his head against hers, Meredith smiling when he whispered back,

"I love you so much more Meredith"

 **So this was TINY! But don't worry, although I am going to skip a little we are going to hear a lot of her recovery and what went down in later chapters. So, until next time, don't forget to review!**

 **Also, those following 3 years, if you could read the latest chapter and review that would be great! I am on 99 reviews and would really like to reach 100 before the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay so this is a cute little filler chapter that I really liked!**

 **I have dropped a hint somewhere in here about what is going to be happening in the next few chapters which skip forward a while… I wonder who will click onto the clues. If you think you have it, drop me a message… It is very subtle but if you think real hard, it is kind of easy.**

 **On with the show!**

Meredith felt herself panicking as she ran around her kitchen, Izzie sitting on the table laughing.

"Meredith calm down, everything is ready"

"What if we don't have enough food? I mean- you cooked enough right?"

"Sit down and relax!" Izzie shouted jokingly, Meredith sighing heavily as she sat on the chair in front of Izzie.

"Can you believe it's been a year and 7 months? I mean, it's not long but it feels like forever" Meredith mumbled, Izzie gushing at her love struck friend.

"Where is he?"

"He is finishing a surgery, he said he'd be here in about an hour" Izzie nodded, jumping up when the door bell went. She went to the door, Derek and Addison greeting her with a bottle of wine.

"Are we early?" Izzie shook her head, guiding her into the dining room.

"No it's fine- I'll go and grab some glasses" She went to the kitchen, Meredith as white as a ghost.

"They are early and I am not ready!" She whispered harshly, Izzie grabbing her shoulders.

"Breathe! Go and get ready" Meredith scurried away, running past the dining room making Derek frown. Izzie come back with three glasses, Derek pointing out the room with a frown.

"Is she okay?"

"She is just a little nervous- it's the first dinner party she has thrown properly and its also the first thing we have all done with the drowning- she'll be fine"

"Can I go and see her?" He asked, Izzie nodding, pouring Addison and herself a drink. Derek headed upstairs, remembering where Meredith's room was. He could hear her mumbling to herself from outside in the corridor, stopping short just in case she wasn't decent. He was not about to barge in on her half dressed.

 _"Damn it Mark leaving your damn clothes on the damn floor"_ He looked up when Meredith come out the bedroom, jumping when she saw him.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you" She was dressed in black jeans and a white blouse tucked in, the last few buttons open showing her chest. He spotted immedietly a small burn mark from where they had shocked her when she was _dead_ Meredith cringing.

"Are they noticeable?" He smiled, shaking his head.

"You look amazing Meredith" She smiled, fixing her hair in the mirror outside her bedroom.

"Do you know what time Bailey is arriving?" She asked him, Derek nodding his head as they went down the stairs.

"She was on her way when I rang her before so she will probably be here in 10" She nodded, Derek looking around before they reached the bottom.

"Where is Mark?"

"Oh he is finishing up his surgery so he should be here soon" Derek frowned, stopping short making Meredith look at him confused.

"Surgery?" She opened her mouth to answer, turning to the door when someone opened it. She grinned when Mark walked in, a large grin on his face.

"I brought pie!" He laughed, Meredith rubbing Derek's arm slightly before running up to Mark, wrapping her arms around his neck, him lifting her up placing a kiss on her lips. Derek shook the confusion from his mind, going up to shake Mark's hand. Meredith was glad they were no longer awkward around each other, it made her life a lot easier. Not long after, Bailey, Alex, George and Cristina arrived from the hospital, Richard coming just behind them. They all settled down around the table, delving into conversation as the food was passed around.

"Considering I wasn't here to help, this is amazing Iz" Mark joked, Izzie rolling her eyes at him.

"I am a good cook now thank you Mark! You on the other hand still need to master the art of baking"

"I am not that bad" He frowned, George scoffing.

"I am still ill from the batch of cookies you poisoned me with last week" Addison couldn't help but laugh at the comment, Mark looking at her with wide eyes.

"You who call yourself my friend are supposed to back me up" He pouted to himself, Meredith rubbing his hand in fake support making him grin.

"If I remember correctly, my mother was sick for a good 2 weeks after you decided to bake her a cake when you graduated Med School in a way of telling her. The icing was perfect but, I remember finding an egg shell somewhere in the cake mix" They all fell into a fit of laughter and Mark's failures, the plastic surgeon feeling awfully victimised.

"Well I can at least cook, Meredith burnt cereal the other day" Bailey almost chocked on her mouthful of turkey, looking at her intern with a smirk.

"How?" Was all she could muster, Meredith blushing a deep shade of red.

"The box said that you could have it hot or cold so I put it in the microwave" She argued weakly, Richard and Derek bursting out into hysterics.

"You know, when a cereal box says that, you are supposed to heat the milk and make it, not heat the entire thing up" Richard explained, Meredith rolling her eyes.

"Well I know that now" She mumbled, shuffling a large fork full of mashed potato into her mouth in annoyance.

"It's a good thing your man can cook isn't it?" Cristina teased her best friend with a grin, Meredith shooting her a look which immedietly shut her up. They all continued to laugh about their failures and also about their successes, Meredith sitting back for a moment to take in her amazing friends, and also her amazing boyfriend. Once desert was served they all took their plates of pie and gathered around on the sofa, Izzie standing with her glass silencing everyone for a moment.

"I would like to make a toast to the couple of the century, who are celebrating their 19 month anniversary tonight and decided to throw this dinner party to celebrate with us all" Everyone looked to Meredith and Mark who linked hands and gushed, Meredith being next to speak.

"I would also like to make a toast to every single one of you, because if it wasn't you all I would not be here today, and although this is a celebration of love, it is also one of friendship and life" She mainly eyed up Bailey, Richard and Derek when speaking, knowing they had fought for her when she was down. Bailey nodded her head to the woman, holding up her glass with a teary smile.

"To love, family and life" Everyone repeated Bailey's words, them all clinking glasses with each other before drinking. The night went by slowly, everyone disappearing early hours the next morning, Izzie and George staying out at Alex's apartment leaving Meredith and Mark home alone. They made their way to the bedroom, Meredith kissing his lips pasionatley outside the door.

"I love you so much" She told him, Mark holding her out at arm's length, admiring her perfect face.

"I love you too Meredith" She gushed at him, the two undressing and climbing into bed. Meredith sighed heavily as she rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"How did your surgery go?" He rolled his eyes laughing, running his hand through her hair as he closed his eyes over.

"Let's not talk about work tonight" She just nodded, the pair falling asleep peacefully, all their worries drifting away.


	9. Chapter 9

**So I am skipping forward a year and 4 months which I know is kinda huge but it is all for the stories sake, so don't shoot me.**

Mark grabbed Izzie's arm and dragged her into an on-call room, Izzie staring at him wide eyed.

"I was in the middle of a conversation Mark"She shot annoyingly, needing to coordinate with Bailey on a surgery they were doing tomorrow. She needed to do a lot of research

"I need your help with something" He admitted sheepishly, Izzie frowing deeply, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What did you do?"

"It's not what I have done, it's what I am going to do" He rubbed his hands together nervously, smiling slightly.

"I am going to propose" He threw out, Izzie's eyes widening more.

"To Meredith?"

"No to George, of course to Meredith!" He snapped sarcatsically, Izzie breaking out in a large smile.

"Mark this is great" She was genuenly happy for him, and even more so for Meredith. She knew they were celebrating their 3 year anniversary next month so it was great timing.

"I have done a thing though" He said, Izzie raising her eyebrows for Mark to continue.

"There have been apartments being built in the city that have been under construction for about a year and a half" Izzie nodded along, though she had no idea where Mark was going.

"Yes I know the ones, what do they have to do with anything?"

"I have been cooirdinating with the owner and I bought the entire top floor when construction began and had them design it into a large suite for me and Meredith to move into. Construction finishes this week and I was going to get the apartment set up and ready for us to move in for our 3 year anniversary and propose but I need help to get it all done. I have been throwing pretend surgeries at her like there is no tomorrow but I need as much help with the alibi aas I can get" Izzie felt her heart swoon, unable to cope with how adorable Mark was being.

"Mark this is actually the best thing you have ever done! Of course I will help, wait here okay, give me like, 10 minutes" She skipped out the room, Mark wondering where she was going and what she was doing. Just on time, 10 minutes later she came back with Bailey, George, Alex, Cristina and even Richard, them all cramming into the room with a frown.

"What is going on?" Richard asked annoyingly, Mark staring at Izzie.

"Tell them what you are going to do?"

"I am planning on proposing, and I need your help" He admitted, everyone immedietly intigued.

"What do you need?" Bailey asked, Mark smiling slightly.

"Meredith thinks I am stuck doing back to back surgeries over a few nights these next few weeks, I need you to all back me up on them. I am going to throw a few traumas and also other hospitals in the mix so she doesn't go looking into things"

"Why are you hiding from her?" Cristina asked, Izzie not being able to hold herself as she exploded happily.

"He bought her an apartment. No, he bought her heaven! Tell they what you did" She gushed happily, Mark telling them what he had done and what he planned on doing, everyone in awe of their relationship.

"So we all know what we have to do?" Izzie asked, everyone nodding.

"Thank you all"

"We better be invited to the engagment party" Bailey smirked, everyone laughing. They all filed out the room, Mark needing to sneak off for funiture shopping. Much to his dismay Derek and Meredith were walking up the way.

"What are you all doing?" Meredith asked, everyone hovering around, trying to look casual, though they failed terribly.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, Meredith frowning.

"Trying to find Mark"

"You found me" He smiled, Meredith looking at him with a deeper frown.

"Can I scrub in with you, I was supposed to scrub in with Derek but his surgery got postponed"

"No because I am scrubbing in" Cristina jumped up, Meredith tilting her head in confusion.

"You are?"

"And I am, so sorry the OR is too full" Alex said, Meredith crossing her arms across her chest.

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you at home in 2 hours?" She looked back at Mark who cringed, Alex jumping in again.

"5 actually, we got another surgery booked in right after so, I'll make sure he gets home" Meredith raised her eyebrow, going to kiss him goodbye.

"I love you" He whispered, Meredith rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll see you later" She stared at everyone before walking away, Derek frowing at everyone.

"What is going on here?"

"Nothing" Izzie, Cristina, Mark and Alex all said it simutaniously making Derek tilt his head, though he just shurgged and walked away.

"That was close" Mark whispered, Izzie laughing.

"This is exciting! Can I come shopping with you?" Bailey pulled her arm dragging her away.

"We have a surgery to plan for" Izzie mouthed save me to everyone, Richard even laughed slightly as Bailey draged her aroun the corner.

"I'll come shopping with you. I don't have surgery" She said, Mark nodding.

"See you all tomorrow" Richard waved them off, them walking away.

"This is going to be fun" She laughed, Mark grinning.

"Let's go shopping!"

* * *

Mark and Cristina walked around the large furniture store in a haze, in awe of all the amazing furniture.

"Where do we even start?" Cristina asked, Mark shaking his head.

"Pick a room, and we start there"

"Dining room!" Mark laughed, Cristina sporting a silly grin.

"Of course. We need a table, chairs, maybe a lamp. In the dining room I have a laminate floor and also spot lights in the ceiling"

"How big do you want the table. 2 people, 4 people, 15 people?" She winked, Mark not being able to hold in his laugh.

"Maybe a folding one? A 5 person table that folds out to seat 10? I mean, we want room for when we are alone?"

"For the kids?" Cristina mimicked in a gushy voice, Mark smacking her arm.

"Shut up Cristina" They picked out a perfect wooden table with 5 chairs, Mark knowing that he can buy more at a later date for storage. Next they found a large, tall lamp that would fit perfectly in the corner of the dining room.

"Now you need cutlery. Like, matching knives and spoons and forks. Even though she can't cook, she is very picky on details like this. I think it is because she has been around Izzie too much but that is just me" He agreed, them finding all the necessities and adding them to the large trolley they had. 4 hours later and over $3000 spent, they were all set.

"I have an hour to get these in the apartment and back home" He said, them driving through the street.

"Well, I can start setting them up if you want to head home. I can call Alex over"

"Really? That would be a huge help. Also, I noticed you aren't in next Thursday. I have our bed and mattress coming. Could you stay here and wait for them"

"Of course. Why did you order them instead of buying them?" Mark grinned, looking over at her.

"Oh, you will see!" She laughed, Mark dropping her and the items off before heading home. He went straight upstairs, smiling when he saw Meredith asleep with medical books and flashards surrounding her. He quietly packed away her things, climbing into bed next to her. She rolled over and wrapped herself around him, a smile on her face.

"I love you too Mark" He laughed and kissed her head, slowly drifting off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**I know I have taken a while to update but I have been on holiday and only got home on Saturday but the jetlag has been eating me up inside but I managed to get a few hours in between trying to do work and resting and I am going to try and update as much as I can of my stories. I will hopefully be back to normal on Friday once I have gotten through my first week back at college.**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

"We are amazing. Admit it, we are" Izzie gushed, nudging Marks arm. They stood in the middle of the apartment floor in awe with Cristina, George, Richard and Bailey. They had officially finished the apartment and it was all set for the weekend when Mark would be proposing to Meredith.

"We did do a pretty good job didn't we?" Richard laughed, Mark nodding happily.

"Thank you all so much, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. I can't believe we hid it this long!" They all filled out, knowing that the next time they will be seeing the apartment would be for the engagement party.

"This is going to be amazing" Cristina exclaimed, them all dispersing as Izzie and Mark headed home to wait for Meredith.

"I can't believe we did it" Izzie said as she and Mark got inside the house, heading upstairs.

"I know, it has gone by so fast I can't wait" Mark admitted, Izzie smiling. He stood in the door way to her bedroom, looking behind him before sliding in the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Want to see the ring?" Her eyes bulged as she nodded, Mark laughing as he pulled out a small red velvet box. Opening it slowly, Izzie was astounded by the small diamond ring in the box.

"Oh Mark! She is going to love it!"

"Can I practice on you? I mean, the mirror is fine, but I need a reaction to know that it is perfect" She nodded eagerly with a laugh.

"Meredith Grey-" She interrupted him, winking slightly.

"You have to use my name for the full effect Mark. Come on-shape" He laughed, getting down on one knee.

"Isobel Stevens-"

* * *

Meredith wrapped her arms around herself as it it would protect her from the pain she was feeling, jumping when Derek come up behind her with Addison at his hip.

"Meredith?" She turned to face him, her face white in worry.

"What happened?"

"My patient died" She whispered, Derek frowning.

"I'm so sorry"

"No, I was supposed to have a 4 hour surgery but he died before we even hit the first hour. I was going to surprise Mark after his surgery but, it turns out he isn't operating today" Addison frowned, looking at the OR board.

"It might have been a trauma, they are usually not put on the board"

"I thought that and asked a nurse, they said he hasn't operated for a few days. He told me on Monday he was on back to back surgeries all this week. So, if he hasn't been operating, where has he been?" Derek and Addison shared a look, Meredith turning away from their looks.

"I know what you are thinking, but he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't cheat, I know he wouldn't. He can't" Her voice was fading as her sentence went on, as if she was finding it hard to believe herself let alone convince the other two.

"Mere-" Addison stepped towards her but she backed away, trying to control the emotions building up inside her.

"I need to speak to him. I just, I need to go" She was off in a flash, Derek and Addison sharing a concerned look.

"Should we go after her? I mean- look at her" Addison asked, Derek sighing. He didn't know.

"Give her a while. She has rounds in a few hours so she should be back then"

* * *

Meredith drove home, knowing that it was a start, but she knew if he was cheating he wouldn't be here. Much to her happiness, she saw his car and took a breath. It was going to be fine- he wouldn't cheat. She opened the front door and could hear voices from upstairs, frowning as she made her way slowly up the stairs. Mark's laugh sent a shiver down her spine as she got midway up the stairs, spotting two figures in the doorway to Izzie's room. She watched with wide eyes as Mark got down on one knee, his voice echoing around her.

"Isobel Stevens. I know we met unexpectedly, and some would say things were rushed, but how could I not get to know you more and more. You mesmerised me, the second my eyes fell upon you I knew you were the one. I know it was frowned upon by some, but I am glad we got through it and never lost each other in the fire, because I don't know where I would be without you today. I don't want commitment, I don't want marriage, I want a life time, and I want that life time with you. So, would you do the honour of becoming my wife, becoming the future mother to my children, becoming not only my world by my universe as well- and even if I don't know the answer, I know that I love you, and that is good enough for me" Meredith's world turned on its axis as she heard Izzie shout yes, her legs moving down the stairs quicker than she think she could ever move. It was as if the walls were coming in on her and she needed to escape. She needed an out. The ringing in her ear was deafening, the continuation of Mark's and Izzie's conversation a blur to her as she came to the foot of the stairs. She bolted for the door, the slam snapping Mark and Izzie out of their haze as they ventured downstairs, glad to see she was home so soon.

"Mark I am crying, she is going to love it, she is going to love everything about it. I am so happy for the both of you" She wrapped him up in a hug, the slam jolting them away from each other.

"Clear those eyes, not a word" She pretended to zip her lips with a laugh as she followed him down the stairs, watching as he slipped the little red box away. They frowned when they were greeted by an empty hall way, the rev of Meredith's car being heard outside. Mark ran to the door, flinging it open just as the car sped off the driveway, his frown deepening.

"Where is she going?" Izzie stood in the doorway with him, shaking her head as the bitter cold set in on her bare arms.

"I don't know. She might have realised we have rounds and headed back. Come on, we will see her at the hospital" He nodded and grabbed his coat, Izzie locking the door was they got into the car and drove to the hospital.

* * *

Meredith sat in the store parking lot, her tears uncontrollable as she blindly dialled Derek's number, trying to control her sobs.

 _"Dr Derek Shepherd"_

"Derek" She managed to chock out, her head resting on the drivers wheel as she sobbed down the phone.

 _"Meredith? Where are you? What happened?"_

"I got home and he was there, he was proposing to Izzie" Derek gasped horrifically down the phone, his shock only causing Meredith to sob harder. How had they hid this form her? How could they ruin her like that?

 _"No Meredith you have to have it wrong. Why would they do that?_ "

"I saw it with my own Eyes Derek, he got down on one knee and had a ring and I heard it all. I heard it all"

 _"Come to the hospital. Or at least tell me where you are_ " She shook her head, holding her stomach as if to stop the feeling of bile rising up her throat.

"I think I am going to be sick"

 _"Meredith tell me where you are right now"_

"I won't be in for rounds" Was all she managed to get out before hanging up, throwing her phone onto the back seat, her cries louder, the heartbreak taking over her every being. She thought he was it, she thought he was her happy ending. How could he do this?

 **Oh no poor Mere! If only she knew... What do you think is going to happen next? What will Derek do when he sees Mark? Tune in for more soon**


	11. Chapter 11

Mark and Izzie met up with everyone else, Mark looking around confused.

"Has Meredith come back in yet?" He asked, Cristina frowning.

"No? Where is she?" Mark just shrugged, spotting Derek coming down the hallway. He went to greet him happily, the shock knocking the wind out of him when Derek punched him, sending him flying to the floor. Addison ran to catch up with Derek, pulling him back slightly. Bailey stood at the side, her eyes wide, a sense of Déjà vu taking over. This scene had happened once before.

"Derek what are you doing?" Izzie exclaimed, her and Alex helping Mark stand up, the man rubbing his cheek which had cut open slightly.

"You are one ass hole Derek! I though you had changed!" Addison pulled Derek back further, Mark looking to thank her for holding him back but it was only just. She looked about ready to punch him as well.

"What did I do?" Addison laughed slightly, pushing in front of Derek.

"Once a cheater, always a cheater" She coughed out, Mark's eyes wide.

"Wait? Who did he cheat on?" George asked, Derek's eyes on fire.

"Meredith!" Mark's head started shaking, his hands out in front of him begging Derek and Addison to listen.

"Who told you that?"

"She overheard your proposal to Izzie Mark. Just stop the act" Izzie and Mark shared a look, Izzie laughing slightly, then she stopped.

"Wait? She thought it was real? No! No, he was practising on me! He is going to propose to Meredith" Derek froze, dropping his clenched fists.

"You were practising?"

"Yes! I wanted her advice on my proposal and we were joking around! I would never do that to her, you have to believe me"

"Why have you been hiding from her? She found out about your fake surgeries Mark" Addison told him, Mark hitting his head with his hand annoyingly.

"I have been planning her proposal. I bought her an apartment and we have all been setting it up. I didn't know how else to sneak away from her so I made up some surgeries. Does she actually think I cheated on her?" Derek cringed, nodding his head.

"You need to fix this, quickly. She is a mess" Mark and Izzie shared another look, realising now why she had left the house to quick. She actually believed it, but Mark had given her good reason to so it made sense all the same.

"Where is she?"

"We don't know. She called Derek in a state and told him she wouldn't be in for rounds" Mark ran his hand down his face and sighed. He knew exactly where she was.

"I know where she is" He took off out the hospital, and didn't bother getting in his car as he ran across the parking lot to the bar next door. Much to his luck, he saw her car sitting on the far side of Joe's parking lot, Meredith still in it. Without even thinking of the consequences, he swung the passenger side door open and sat in the car, Meredith staring at him wide eyed.

"What are you doing?"

"Coming to explain myself" He told her, Meredith scoffing, putting the car into drive.

"I am taking you back to the hospital"

"I am not getting out this car unless you are getting out with me" She groaned, wiping her cheeks, stopping short in the middle of the car park.

"Let me take us for a drive, please. Just, hear me out" She sighed and jumped out, swapping places with Mark. he noticed how her fists were clenched tightly together on her lap, how she pressed herself against the door so she was as far from him as possible. She wasn't showing it much but he could see the heartbreak in her eyes. It ruined him.

"Where are we going?" She asked after a few minutes of awkward silence, Mark smiling slightly.

"You will see"

"No Mark, no more games! If you are just going to drive around in circles I would rather you took me home" His smile fell. She always loved going for drives with him.

"Meredith whatever you heard-" She interrupted him, tears again starting to make their way down her cheeks as the emotions overwhelmed her.

"No Mark! I heard you proposing to Izzie, after finding out that you have been lying to me for weeks about surgeries! Clearly I am much more naive than i thought but, for you to scoop that low you are surprised I haven't pushed you out this car head first"

"I didn't propose to Izzie! I was practising for you!" She opened her to shout again but stopped, turning to face him, her eyes wide.

"You what?" He huffed annoyingly, stopping at a red light.

"I thought I had done so well hiding it from you but clearly it backfired before I could get a chance to explain myself. I have bought you an apartment and all my fake surgeries were allies for me going and setting it up for you. I was going to take you there after out meal on our anniversary and propose. I wanted to hear someones thoughts on my speech for you because I only wanted to best but clearly, you came home at the worst time and what you though was my proposal to Izzie was actually us joking around while I practised! You had every right to feel betrayed but let me tell you, I love you Meredith Grey and you only, and the only person I want to be putting a ring on is you!" He breathed heavily as he finished his speech, Meredith's jaw dropping as she let out a small laugh, Mark frowning.

"You want to marry me?"

"Of course I do!"

"I love you too" She whispered, Mark whipping his head to look at her in shock.

"Well, now the surprise is ruined" He pined, Meredith grabbing his hand.

"I am so sorry I overreacted the way I did"

"You had every right to, I would have done the same thing" They shared a moment, one Meredith had been craving since she walked into her house those few hours ago and she couldn't help but mentally slap herself for how she had reacted. Suddenly, another SUV crashed into Meredith's side of the car, sending their car hurtling across the road, everything going black.

 **Oh crap. What just happened?! Stay tuned for more soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so sorry for leaving you all on such a cliffhanger on the last chapter, so here is my update ! I have an idea for where this is going to go and end so hopefully updates shouldn't be too sketchy depending on if the ideas play out**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to review**

Mark felt his entire body jolt awake, his eyes opening shaking the shattered glass off his eyelids. He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably when he noticed Meredith wasn't in the chair next to him, his hand going to the seat-belt buckle which was jammed.

"Mark?" He turned his neck painfully when he heard Meredith's voice, blinking furiously as he saw a blurred figure walking towards his door.

"Calm down okay, your seat-belt is jammed. I think you have damaged something in your neck so keep as still as possible. I examined you the best I could and I think you have some internal bruising but there are no signs of bleeding so far. Can you move your arms and legs?" She asked, coming into full view in the mirror, her face calm and collected slowing his heart rate down some.

"I can yes" He slowly managed to move them but had full feeling which was good.

"You have a cut by your eye" He added before she could speak, Meredith nodding slowly.

"I have a headache and some bruising around my stomach but I think I am okay. The ambulance will be here any second okay, try and stay as still as you can" He blinked so he didn't move his head, Meredith going to walk away causing Mark to call out.

"Mark calm down, I am going to check on the other driver. He was in a bad state. I won't be far" She leaned in and kissed his cheek, Mark sighing heavily.

"Yes" He frowned, Meredith laughing slightly, placing her hand on his cheek tenderly.

"Yes I will marry you" She kissed him again before slipping away, leaving his love-struck in the car, a small smile on his face. He heard the ambulance approaching a few minutes later, seeing Meredith approaching his window.

"I called for two, we are going to get in the second one. The other guy is in really bad shape I don't know if he is going to make it" Mark watched her in awe, wondering how she could be so caring for someone who almost killed them, but let it slid because he knew she was being the better person. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when a mass of familiar voices swarmed his senses, Meredith turning around to see Izzie, Derek, Cristina and Richard running towards them.

"What happened?" Derek was at Meredith's side in an instant, placing his hand on her cut making her wince.

"Some idiot crashed into us. He is in bad shape you need to get him back to the hospital" Meredith stated, pushing his hand away, Richard looking around to see a man lying on the ground by what he believed to be the remains of his car.

"But what about you?" Izzie argued, Derek ignoring the injured man as he walked to mark, placing his hands on either side of his neck.

"We can wait for the second ambulance" Mark chirped in, Izzie and Cristina standing either side of Meredith, the woman wrapping her arms around Izzie suddenly.

"I'm sorry I accused you, I should have thought about what was happening instead of jumping to the first irrational thought I had" Izzie sighed, glad to see Mark had gotten through to her.

"I'm sorry you thought that anyway, you had every right to doubt him. He thought he was doing so good hiding from you" Meredith laughed, pulling away from her friend.

"Yeah well he was doing a good job, I just went digging where I shouldn't have" Meredith felt dizzy suddenly, stumbling causing Cristina to reach out and keep hold of her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, I just feel lightheaded" She mumbled, holding her head when a blinding light took over her vision, Cristina and Izzie's calls being the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

"Derek!" Izzie shouted distressed, the two men turning to see Meredith in a bundle on the floor, Richard immediately blocking Mark's view who struggled in his confined space.

"What's going on?" He shouted, watching as Derek disappeared, not being able to see as he got down on the ground besides Meredith.

"Meredith, can you hear me?" Derek shined a torch in Meredith's eyes, glad to see her pupils responding nicely.

"I need to get her to the hospital to see the extent of the damage. She might have a brain bleed" He commented, trying to stay strictly professional as his concern for his close friend grew.

"The second ambulance will be here any second" Richard said, watching in anger as the man who caused the accident was pulled away by the paramedics on a stretcher.

"What's going on Richard" Mark demanded, Richard turning to keep hold of his neck.

"You need to stay still to avoid more damage Mark" He told him sternly, but the man ignored him as he looked over slightly, spotting Meredith's limp body on the floor, his eyes widening in panic.

"Meredith! What happened?" He shouted, Izzie coming up to his side to calm him.

"Calm down Mark okay, she passed out, but she is going to be fine. Her pupils are responsive and her pulse is steady. Just calm down for me, okay? Follow my breathing" Mark did as he was told and Izzie managed to calm him down, Richard impressed with her techniques. A few minutes later the second ambulance pulled up, Derek running to get a back board.

"Okay Mark, we are going to secure you to this and then Izzie is going to come around and try and get the seatbelt off then we can get you off and onto a gurney. This might hurt slightly okay but once you are out we can give you something for the pain" Mark took a deep breath and nodded, Izzie climbing through the other side to get a look at the belt.

"Ready when you are Izzie" Derek called to her, Izzie working quickly but roughly, managing to get the seatbelt off without too much pain for Mark.

"Okay he is ready to go" She shouted back, gripping Marks hand comfortingly before climbing out to help Cristina with Meredith.

"On three Mark" He nodded at Derek and silently counted along before holding his breath and feeling his body burn in agony as Derek and Richard got him out of the car onto the gurney.

"Good Mark, you're all set. Let's get you back to the hospital okay"He sighed and nodded, Meredith still unconscious on the gurney next to him. The ambulance ride was awkward and cramped, Derek bouncing between Meredith and Mark while Richard inspected the intern injuries. Izzie and Cristina, although they were eager to help, sat on the sidelines as a form of comfort, knowing that they will be more help when they know what is wrong. Upon arriving at the hospital, the entire staff were on standby, Mark flattered by the care and consideration of the staff. They were more like family to him and Meredith. Bailey was first to approach, helping with Meredith's gurney.

"I will be with Mark as soon as I get Meredith's scans" He told Richard who nodded, watching as Cristina, Derek and Bailey were off with Meredith. He unloaded Mark, Addison and Alex approaching to help out.

"Trust you to get yourself into a car crash" Addison commented sarcastically, Mark rolling his eyes at her.

"Technically the other guy crashed into me" He shot back, Izzie and Addison sharing a look as he was wheeled to CT.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! I got spoiled rotten by my amazing parents and I am very grateful for the gifts I received.**

 **You will all be happy to know, out of all my amazing gifts, one of them was... A NEW LAPTOP! I no longer have to rely on my college computers for updates as I can now write from the comfort of my own bed whenever the hell I want!**

 **I am sadly working everyday now until the 2nd of January so my updates may be slightly scattered until then but I have a lot of late shifts so some mornings may be in your favor.**

 **Until then, I hope you enjoy this update and also, I apologies for the cliffhanger at the end... You will understand soon ;)**

 **Also before I leave, for those who are OUAT fans, I have a new story out called Time which will be multichapter so if you could check that out and maybe drop me a review that would be great because so far it only have one review :(**

 **y, and if I don't see you before hand, have an amazing new year and see ya'll in 2017 :D**

Derek strapped Mark's neck up and began to explain the extent of his injuries.

"You were extremely lucky Mark! You haven't injured your spine but you have severely pulled a muscle, which if moved in a quick and uneven motion can cause paralysis. I am going to keep you on bed rest here for 2 weeks with this wrap around your neck to allow your neck to heal and then you are going to have to take it easy but you will make a full recovery" Mark attempted to nod along, his head being kept upright, so he blinked in acknowledgment, looking over to Richard who explained his internal matter.

"You have no internal bleeds but you have severe bruising around your kidney which I want to keep an eye on while you are on bed rest, but besides a dull aching, there should be no more lasting effects"

"Where is Meredith?" Was his first question, Richard looking to Derek who for the time being is also her main doctor.

"I took her for a head CT and we are happy to see there is no bleed but we are going to rescan every 2-3 hours to be sure none occur on the next few days. She is still unconscious so we think it was the stress on her body just turning her off for a while so we are hopeful she will wake up shortly"

"Bailey has told us that she has a few cracked ribs but so far they have not punctured her lungs so we are going to monitor her movements for the next few weeks and will be keeping her in alongside you" Mark sighed heavily, running his achy arm through his hair stressfully.

"This is all my fault" Derek was at his friend's side in an instant, shaking his head thoroughly.

"No this is not your fault Mark. You always used to tell me that everything happened for a reason, so either way this was probably inevitable, you did not increase the chances. You are both very lucky to be alive considering the shape the other driver is in, so don't think like that"

"How is the other driver?" Mark questioned, secretly hoping he was lying on a morgue table somewhere but he wouldn't voice his wishes aloud.

"He is in surgery, stable but he had a lot of injuries. They don't know if he is going to make it" All Mark did was blink again in acknowledgment, not wanting to say anything more on the matter.

"When can I see Meredith?"

"I am going to monitor her until she wakes up and then when I have done a full neuro exam, I will see about getting the two of you put into a joint room. But until then I want you to rest, I will make sure to come and update you if anything changes" Mark sighed and watched as he left the room with Richard, closing his eyes in an attempt to relax but he couldn't settle his mind. _Meredith said yes. She actually said yes._ His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door, looking up to see Izzie, Alex and Cristina in the doorway.

"Where is George?" Mark asked as they filled in, Alex being the one to answer as they all situated themselves around the room.

"He is operating on the other driver, though he wasn't too happy about it"

"Have any of you seen Meredith?" Izzie shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly.

"We have been banished from her room until she wakes up. Apparently we were coddling her. I was only painting her toe nails" Mark laughed, cringing as the pain in his side.

"Do you need anything?" Cristina asked, Mark shaking his head slightly.

"No, it just hurts when I laugh. Richard said there would be an ache for a while" He explained, Alex shaking his head.

"I hope that ass hole dies on the table. Drunk driving, it's pathetic" Mark perked up slightly, not knowing he was drunk.

"Was he drunk?" Izzie nodded, her face red with anger.

"He was, and he could have killed you both!" Mark couldn't help but think about what Meredith would say at this point, knowing she would disagree in every form and would probably be fighting to help on the surgery.

"He doesn't deserve to die though, Meredith did the right think sending him first" Cristina argued back, Mark doing a slight nod to show he agreed.

"She is right, Meredith would want him to live. We shouldn't be wishing him dead, we are surgeons for God's sake, it's against everything we believe in" He wasn't just scolding them, he was himself. He had wished him dead and thought horrible things and it wasn't right. Meredith had taught him well and this was not it.

"We know, we are just angry! I mean, look at your both" Alex commented lowly, Mark smiling slightly.

"I know, but we are fine. Everything is going to be fine"

* * *

Derek sat on the chair next to Meredith's bed, his eyes flickering between the chart and her, watching for any slight change in anything. He looked up when he heard someone in the door, smiling up at Addison who was staring at Meredith.

"Any change?" He shook his head, Addison sighing.

"She was so upset. Before Mark went after her I almost wanted something to happen to him, as karma for ruing something so great, and then we got the call and this had happened. I just-" Derek interrupted her, shaking his head.

"You did nothing wrong. I was just as pissed as you were. We thought he has messed up, but he never and they are both fine. We need to just focus on getting them better" She sighed and nodded, wrapping him up in a hug before pulling away.

"I am going to check on Mark. I'll be back in a short while" He nodded and watched her leave, turning back to watch Meredith.

"Come on Mere, you can do this" As if she heard him, her fingers twitched suddenly, Derek going into hyper-speed as he maneuvered around her, grabbing his torch from his scrubs pocket, taking her hand with his spare one.

"Meredith, if you can hear me squeeze my hand" She squeezed it tightly, Derek letting go to lift her eyelids up, shining the light down, happy to see her flinch away. She slowly peeled her eyes open, blinking in a confused daze as she looked around, finally letting her eyes land on Derek who was looking down at her.

"Derek? What happened?" She groaned, lifting her hand to place on her head which was throbbing, gasping at the shooting pain through her chest.

"Try and limit your movements, you fractured a few ribs and we need to be sure they don't do any more internal damage" She nodded, putting her hand back down, motioning for him to sit the bed up, hip complying, Meredith happy to be sitting up and aware of where she was. She was on the recovery ward in Seattle Grace, but why? What had happened?

"Derek why am I here? What happened?" She questioned, Derek sitting on the edge of her bed, sighing heavily.

"You were in a crash. Some drunk driver smashed into Mark's car" She nodded along, but stopped suddenly, her head tilting to the side in confusion.

"Mark?" Derek nodded, pointing out the room.

"He is just in the room down the hall. He has been asking about you. I told him I would keep him updated, he will be so happy to hear that you are awake" Derek was not expecting the reply he got from Meredith, his eyes bulging as the words slid from her mouth, her face a picture of utter confusion.

"Who is Mark?"


	14. Chapter 14

**I haven't updated this story since last year... Whoops!**

 **Okay so I apologise for the wait so I will just get on with it.**

 **Don't forget to review! :)**

Derek stood outside Meredith's room with George, Izzie, Alex and Cristina, them all looking between each other, nobody knowing what to do.

"We have to go and update Mark" Izzie said slowly, Derek running his hand through his hair.

"How am I supposed to tell him that his girlfriend has no idea who he is?" Cristina placed her hand on his shoulder, looking over him when she saw movement, shocked to see Mark walking towards them slowly. Derek looked up, shaking his head as he approached the injured man.

"Okay this is breaking literally every rule I told you to follow" Mark rolled his eyes, accepting the seat when George brought him a wheelchair over.

"Nobody was giving me updates and I was worried" Derek cringed, Mark immediately noticing.

"Derek what is going on?"

"Meredith is awake" Mark's eyes widened, George and Alex having to stop him as he went to stand suddenly, his face contorting in agony.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He moaned, shaking off Alex and George slightly, Izzie crouching down so she was eye level with them.

"Mark she is fine, but she is having some memory issues" He frowned, looking down at Izzie, her face comforting him some.

"What kind of memory issues?"

"We ordered a CT and she is clear of any internal damage so we think it is due to the trauma"

"What kind of memory issues Derek?"

"She doesn't know who you are Mark, she can't remember you" Mark froze, his eyes drooping ever so slightly as he gulped loudly.

"She doesn't remember me at all?" Derek sighed, shaking his head.

"You can't tell her anything" George frowned, moving so he could see Mark, the defeat on his face troubling.

"No Mark you can't think like that-" Before he could continue Mark interrupted him, his voice strong but they could all hear the tremor he was trying to hide.

"I don't want her to remember me because we all implanted memories in her head. I want her to remember me the right way. The Meredith who loves me is not the one in that hospital room and you all know it" Derek nodded along, knowing his friend was right.

"He is right. When coaxing memories back in trauma patients we usually ask loved ones to skip vital information, it helps us see if their memory is actually getting better of if the memories are just conditioned to be there. They are never usually the same if the memories aren't real. I've seen it many times"

"But there is a chance she won't remember at all" Alex stated, Mark nodding, letting out a shaky breath.

"There is. I should be getting back to my room now" He allowed Cristina and Izzie to wheel the chair back, instantly asking them to leave once he was secure in bed. When they left, he finally allowed the tears to escape, fingering the ring he had asked Izzie to give back to him, kissing it lightly as sobs wrecked his weak body.

* * *

Hours had passed, it being Izzie and Georges turn to sit with Meredith while Alex went home to rest and Cristina rounded. Derek was refusing to leave the hospital while the two were in here as patients so Chief had sent him to an on-call room to burn off some steam for a few hours. The three sat in awkward silence, nobody knowing what to say. In Meredith's time line, she had only been an intern for a short while and she wasn't as close with her other fellow interns as they were now. They had been through a lot but she knew nothing about any of it. All she knew was that Addison had showed up and she was heartbroken about Derek- the shocking turn of events had been almost 3 years ago. Now she was 3 years into the future with no knowledge of anything. It was troubling for them all.

"How is the other guy doing?" Meredith suddenly asked, breaking the cold silence around the room.

"The driver? He is in ICU- he is on dialysis because they couldn't salvage his liver but they don't know how long he'll last without it. Considering he was drunk they can't put him on the list as it turns out he is a raging alcoholic" Izzie stated, secretly wishing he doesn't get a liver. Because of him, things were slowly falling apart for two of her closest friends.

"I meant the one with me- what is his name- Dr Sloan" The way she said his name, the lack of emotion hurt Izzie and George in more ways than they had thought was possible. Considering how in love the two were, hearing such confusion and lack of interest from her when a talking about his just wasn't right.

"He is doing okay. He just has to be careful with how he moves his neck for the next few weeks" She nodded, noticing the sudden change in their posture.

"Why was I in the car with him anyway?" The two interns shared a look, knowing Derek had warned them about the details they shared.

"Why do you two keep looking at each other like that?" She questioned impatiently, George cringing.

"I have to go and check on Ma- I mean Dr Sloan" He whispered, slipping out the room. Izzie stared after him with a frown, despising him for leaving her and her angry friend alone.

"Have any of your memories come back after looking at the charts?" She diverted the entire conversation, Meredith rolling her eyes.

"Not really. I mean, Bailey come in earlier and said that I was subconsciously doing a surgery with my hands as Derek read the chart to me which she said is good. I think I remember this guy-" She paused and grabbed a chart she had kept close to her, opening it up showing Izzie who took it from her.

"His name is David Wilson, he saved three kids from a house fire. He went for a run and passed the house when he heard the kids screaming. He managed to get them all out but his foot got caught on a broken floor board and he was severely burned. He had multiple skin graft surgeries and was in the hospital for ever a year and a half. If my memory is correct, he looked almost like he did before the fire when he left" Izzie smiled faintly, nodding her head as she looked at the file. This was Meredith's first major case with Mark. The two fought for David and even got him some free surgeries, which Mark happily paid the hospital back for. Meredith had grown such an attachment to David and was always with him for his check ups. If Izzie's memory was correct, he had one coming up next week.

"Earth to Izzie" Snapping her head up, she blushed slightly, having completely zoned out on Meredith.

"Sorry. Yeah, He looked as handsome as he did before when he left. That's how you always put it anyway" Meredith smiled slightly, nodding her head. They fell into a relatively comfortable silence, Meredith trying her best to recall more memories, but she felt like her brain was refusing to cooperate. And nobody would talk to her about the man with her- what was his problem? Was he a rouge doctor? Did he kidnap her? She didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

Mark fiddled with the IV in his arm, trying to ignore how much it was itching but he couldn't help but fiddle with it. He jumped when someone spoke, looking up to see Bailey in the doorway to his room.

"The more you play with it the more it'll itch" He rolled his eyes, watching as she come and sit on the edge of his bed, staring at him longingly.

"Are you rounding?" He asked, Bailey shaking her head.

"I've finished my shift"

"Why are you still here?"

"I can't seem to bring myself to go home. Not while you are here and she is- she is in there" He sighed, nodding knowing nobody wanted to leave.

"I know you love seeing my beautiful face but you need to go home" She smacked his leg, an un-amused expression on her face.

"Just because you are sitting in this hospital bed all broken doesn't mean I can't smack you in the mouth" He laughed slightly, nodding his head.

"Yes ma'am" They both continued to stare at each other, Mark sensing that Bailey wanted to say more but she was holding back, causing him to frown.

"What's wrong?"

"I went to see her before, and, she looked at me like I was her resident. I mean, when I first picked up the interns, I was this mean _Nazi_ who they all feared, but over the years we became, I want to say friends? And to see her look at me the way she used to, it hurt, because I would feel so angry with myself if I ever made them look at me like that again, and so see her so scared and in the dark, was horrible" He nodded, grabbing her hand.

"I know, she will remember sooner or later. She has to"


	15. Chapter 15

**This my friends, is the second to last chapter! I know, I know, it's horrible to think that it will be coming to an end but, as with all my other stories, I am go to leave room for a sequel so, if you want it, the option will be there.**

 **Don't forget to review and see you at the last chapter!**

Derek, Izzie and Cristina headed into Meredith's room, spotting Bailey who was going over charts with her.

"I am sure Meredith is supposed to be resting and not working" Derek commented with a smirk, Bailey rolling her eyes.

"She asked to see David's file again so I obliged, tell them your idea Meredith"

"I want to be in on his check-up. I mean, me and Dr Sloan worked on him for so long and he was a huge part of my life, so maybe I could get some memories back talking to him" Izzie nodded, agreeing completely.

"That sounds like a great idea- he is due in this week isn't he?"

"He has changed his appointment to next Friday so it's not until next week but it gives Meredith plenty of time to recover more" Bailey said, Derek nodding along.

"Okay, next Friday it is" The week went by fast, Derek greeting the man he assumed was David as he entered the hospital.

"You must be Mr Wilson, I am Dr Shepherd, we spoke on the phone yesterday" He shook his hand, ushering for him to follow.

"Please call me David- now what is this situation with my two favourite doctors- did they forget to invite me to their wedding?" Derek laughed, the two going into an examination room for some more privacy. Derek's face was solemn suddenly, David picking up on it immediately.

"Okay, what is going on Dr Shepherd?"

"Dr Sloan and Dr Grey were involved in a car crash about two weeks ago"

"Oh my God! Are they okay?" The concern from David was comforting, Derek knowing his two friends had grown a significant attachment to their patient.

"They are both fine- they came out of the crash with minor injuries" David sighed heavily, placing his hand on his chest.

"Thank the Lord for that! Can I see them or are they are home recovering?"

"No they are both still here- Dr Sloan had some muscle damage and Dr Grey had somewhat of a head injury. That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about" Derek slowly explained the situation they had all found themselves in, David understand completely.

"Dr Roberts is our best Plastic's fellow and is going to be doing your check up, then both Dr's would like to see you. I advice going to Dr Grey first, as I am sure Dr Sloan will want a full report"

"Thank you Dr Shepherd" Derek left the room and allowed the man to be checked up, waiting for David outside. When he was done, he took him to Meredith's room, the woman sitting with her head buried in on of the many charts that was spread all over her bed. Derek knocked on the door, Meredith looking up with a smile.

"David is here" She nodded for him to leave, David grinning when he saw her.

"Dr Grey, it's good to see you again" They shook hands, David sitting on the chair next to her bed.

"I would say the same but, I am kind of in a sticky situation right now with my memory"

"Dr Shepherd explained everything, so I am here to answer any of your questions" The two spent the entire afternoon talking, David being sure to avoid mentioning her relationship with Dr Sloan as they spoke of him and their work together.

"Thank you David for coming in, hopefully it will be a lot better for your next check up" She smiled, David taking her hand.

"I hope you recover well Dr Grey" He headed out to Dr Sloan's room, Mark grinning when he saw him in the doorway.

"How is my favourite patient?" David rolled his eyes with a laugh, coming in to see his Plastic Surgeon.

"I bet you say that to all your patients" Mark felt his mood change from the past two weeks, knowing that he and David and Meredith held some good memories from the time during his recovery and that David threatened to kill us if we never invited him to our wedding.

"How is she David?" He asked, wanting an honest answer from David.

"Troubled. That Dr Grey is just not the same one to the one who treated me, the one who loves you. Are you sure I can't persuade you into going to see her?"

"I don't want our love to be conditioned, I want my Meredith back" He sighed, David nodding his head knowingly. Derek stood in the doorway watching the two interact, knowing that if David couldn't get Mark to talk to Meredith, it was pointless them continuing to try. He was their last hope.

* * *

"Turn your head slowly" Derek kept hold of Mark's chin as his friend turn his head, the muscles moving accordingly and correctly.

"Your neck has healed nicely, I am officially releasing you from my care" He said happily, George noting it down on his chart, Mark just nodding.

"This is a good thing Mark" Izzie commented, though she knew nothing would ease their friends aching heart.

"I know. I'll be out your hair soon" He tried to joke lightheartedly, but he was in pain, and they could all see it.

"Meredith can be released tomorrow- are you sure you don't want to speak to her, let her know that you'll be staying with her?" Derek wondered, but Mark was adamant on not conditioning Meredith's memory of him- he wanted it to come back natural or not at all.

"I'm sure, I've booked into a hotel for a few weeks" He explained, Izzie sighing, her and George sharing a look.

"We are going to round on Meredith and Alex will be here in a few minutes to give you a lift. We will call you okay?" George said, Mark nodding, watching them leave. As they reached Meredith's room, they were shocked to see that she wasn't in there, Derek frowning.

"Where is she?" Izzie walked into the toilet that Meredith had in her room, seeing no sign of their friend.

"She isn't here Derek"

* * *

Meredith felt the world lift from her shoulders as she took in the fresh air from outside the hospital. She had been planning her escape for a while now, knowing she needed to get out from the beading eyes of the hospital staff and was determined to have a few hours alone. She caught the first cab she could and headed straight home, knowing that everyone was working and she would at least have an hour before rounds. After paying the cab driver, she headed into her house which she had missed so much. She was shocked when she walked inside, the house seeming to have changed so much since she last remembered being in there. The pictures on the wall were new and the floor had been redone. Walking around, she frowned as she looked at the first picture on the wall before the kitchen, a man standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, the largest smile on her face, his lips pressed against her cheek.

"Who are you?" She whispered to herself, heading up the stairs, taking in each of the pictures. She saw a group one half way up; Herself and Cristina where hugging, Izzie sitting on the floor between us, George on Alex's back, Bailey and Richard clinking glasses together laughing, Derek seemingly in a happy conversation with the unknown man, Addison arm in arm with him. He frowned deepened as she looked at it, wondering what had happened in the missing years that had brought them all so close. Herself and her fellow interns were close, she knew that, but why was she friends with Addison and Derek? Derek broke her heart, he chose Addison over her. And Bailey was their resident, Richard was their chief. It was confusing. Certain memories scattered her brain as she took in the pictures, but none of them fitter together, and there was still the unanswered question as to who the unknown man was. She headed up to her bedroom, the change knocking the wind out of her. The bedding was different along side the wall colour and the layout. There were mans clothes mixed in with hers in the washing pile, more pictures of her and the unknown man on the wall and on her dressing table. She walked to the one on her bedside cabinet and saw writing carved in the picture frame, picking it up to observe.

"Meredith Grey and Mark Sloan. Est. since 2006" She frowned, the name seemingly familiar.

"Sloan? As in, Dr Sloan" The man she had been in the car was, he was her partner? That's who he was? Why had nobody told her this, why hadn't he come to see her?Who was he? Suddenly, her mind was overwhelmed with memories as she took in the picture, kisses and dates and picnics and surgeries exploding out of her subconscious. She felt herself running down the stairs, straight to the doorway. As she swung open the door, she was smacked in the face with a bombard of emotions and memories. The first time she had truly seen Mark for the man he was, the day he picked her up for their first date, standing in front of her house in his fitted suit next to the limbo he had rented. It was all coming back. She remembered. Slamming the door shut, she ran down the steps, looking up, shocked to see Mark standing across the road, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Meredith?" He slowly approached her, knowing she had no idea who he was, his hands outstretched cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his tone low, Meredith feeling tears sting her eyes as he grabbed her hand, electricity shooting through her veins.

"Yes" She whispered, Mark frowning, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"I don't understand Meredith?" She gulped, looking him dead in the eye as she spoke.

"I said yes, in the car while we waited for the ambulance. I said yes to marrying you. Mark Sloan, I want to marry you"


	16. Chapter 16- Final Chapter

**It pains me to say, that yes, this is the last chapter to this story! I can't believe how far this come considering not many people are a fan of the ship, we almost hit 100 reviews and everything in only 15 chapters, it's amazing! I am so happy with the outcome and I hope you all enjoy this last chapter. If you are all up for it, I will leave room for a sequel...**

 **Also, for anyone here who may be a fan of the TV show Criminal Minds, my next multi-chapter story will be a CM one, so stay tuned for that! If you are a fan, follow my account, it will be posted in a day or two once I have the plan for chapter two down (chapter one is done!)... Anyway**

 **Let's get on with it shall we! Don't forget to review, and let's see if we can get to 100 for the last chapter!**

Meredith blinked as Derek shone the bright light in her eyes, following his finger, watching him out of the corner of her eyes.

"I can't believe you ran off- you could have warned us at least" He complained, Mark giggling in the corner, stopping when Derek shot him a look.

"Well if I had told you, you wouldn't have let me go. And now look, I have my memory back. You should be patting me on the back" Instead, Derek slapped her arm, Meredith groaning with an annoyed tone.

"Not what I meant Derek" She mumbled rubbing her arm, Bailey opening the door.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she is fine" Derek replied, still angry as he crossed his arms across his chest. Suddenly the room was filled with the other interns, Richard and Addison who hadn't seen Meredith since the crash due to the time zone being off.

"Is it true? Do you remember everything?" Izzie asked hopefully, Meredith smiling with a nod, excepting Mark's help as he lifted her off the examination table. Everyone gathered around for a well earned hug, knowing it had been so long since they had seen _their_ Meredith. Addison approached her, a cautious smile on her face.

"I would have come to see you, but, with the time line of your memory loss I doubt it would have helped your recovery" Meredith laughed, knowing she was right.

"I'm glad to be back" They shared a meaningful hug, everyone glad that things were back to normal.

"What were you even doing at her house?" Cristina asked Mark, who had found Meredith without even realising it.

"I was going to pick up some clothes and Alex was getting gas so I walked the rest of the way. I was across the road when she come out the house. It was pure opportunity"

"It was a great save- I was so confused one minute then I saw you and it all come back" Meredith explained, knowing that in the moment, it was just one big rush of emotion.

"Just to think, we could have took you home three weeks ago and it would have be solved a lot quicker" Bailey commented, everyone laughing as they all filed out the room.

Later that day Meredith and Mark had just finished ordering all the pizzas, Derek agreeing to let her go home as long as she took two week off work. Everyone had gathered at their house for the first time in a while, celebration in order considering they had finally got Meredith back. Mark and Meredith were in the kitchen, Mark kissing his, now fiance, happily on the lips.

"I don't want a big wedding. Maybe we could fly to LA, do it on a beach at sunset. I've always wanted to get married in a bikini" She joked, Mark laughing at her.

"Or we could fly to the Caribbean. I mean, we could get a honeymoon out of it as well"

"And fly them all home after the wedding?" She winked, motioning into the loud living area where all their friends were residing.

"Well they could stay for a week and we could stay for three?" He questioned, Meredith cringing slightly.

"Mark, I am a surgical intern, soon to be resident. How am I going to pay for this?" He rolled his eyes, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"I don't want you to worry about money, okay? Shall we go in and tell them?" She sighed and nodded, grabbing his hand slightly before he walked off.

"I love you" He smiled, lifting her off her feet in a passionate kiss one more time, whispering in her ear,

"I love you too"

 **I know, it is a short yet cute ending but, I thought this was a good place to call it quits. I love you all and thanks again!**


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